Detective Bureau

Police

The Division of Police Detective Bureau is under the command of Detective Sergeant Greg Hayest with three general detectives assigned to the unit. The detective sergeant is responsible for the administration of the detective bureau, internal affairs investigations, narcotics investigations, video forensic program, computer forensic program, the computer voice analysis program, background checks of all new applicants, all juvenile criminal charges, and all other criminal investigations assigned to the detective bureau.

The detectives are responsible for follow-up on all assigned cases until such time the case clears or is satisfactorily closed. Cases can be cleared by arrest, restitution to the victim, referral to the agency that has jurisdiction on the case, determining no crime was actually committed, or exhausting all investigative leads.

Detectives are also encouraged to develop cases from contacts with citizens, businesses, other agencies and anonymous tips. Quarterly, detectives attend the Medina County Detective’s Meeting in which detectives share information about cases they are handling in an effort to coordinate investigations of crimes that are occurring in multiple jurisdictions.

Computer Forensic Unit

This unit forensically processes computers and other electronic devices to obtain evidence of computer related offenses. These crimes include child pornography, child enticement, identity theft, financial crimes, forgery and others.

The unit currently consists of two fully trained computer forensic examiners. The Division of Police has assisted several other agencies with their investigations in the forensic analysis of electronic media resulting in several successful prosecutions.

In a recent local investigation involving a juvenile, we were able to obtain a successful prosecution where the Common Pleas Judge sentenced the suspect to 14 consecutive life sentences for his crime against a juvenile.

Crime Scene Unit

The Division of Police Crime Scene Unit is commanded by Sgt. Scott Kowell. The unit is comprised of two sergeants, one detective, and five officers who have all attended state certified training. One member is a state certified Master Evidence Technician and a certified Master Criminal Investigator through the Ohio Attorney General’s Office.

The unit has various specialized pieces of technical equipment used in the forensic processing of a crime scene for evidence that you may have seen on television shows like CSI. We also have the ability to map crime scenes in 3-D, utilizing specialized software for later presentation in court rooms, or for the re-creation of crime scenes at a later date.

Video Forensic Unit

This unit processes and enhances video from various sources. The unit operates a video forensic computer system that the Division of Police received from a government grant. We currently have a detective and an officer trained on the system. Both officers were sent out of state for this training as part of the government grant.

This is the only system of its kind in Medina County and we have assisted several other agencies in the processing of their video surveillance footage. With this system we can enhance video using different methods, for example we can zoom into areas of the video and make still pictures used for identifying suspects.

Computer Voice Stress Analyzer (CVSA)

There are three detectives who are currently certified Computer Voice Stress Analyzer operators. The CVSA is used as a tool in conducting criminal investigations and bringing them to a successful conclusion.

We have two CVSA computers, and have also assisted several other agencies in their criminal investigation.

Narcotics Unit

The Division of Police has an aggressive and proactive narcotics program which works with the Medina County Drug Task Force. The unit targets those who traffic in illegal drugs in the City of Brunswick. Both agencies have a strong belief in asset forfeiture as a tool in combating narcotic related offenses as it seizes the very profits, vehicles, and houses which would otherwise allow the drug dealers to re-establish their illegal enterprise post release. The forfeited monies and property are then used by the agencies to fund additional drug investigation, provide training and purchase equipment.

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