Shakopee Police Department 2023 Annual Report

INVESTIGATIONS

By Sergeant Josh Davis

The Investigations Unit consists of the following staff: ■ One sergeant ■ Three detectives

do, how they process crime scenes, and what the process is for a real criminal investigation Both patrol officers and detectives must process and log evidence that is relevant to a criminal investigation In 2023, police officers entered more 2,284 pieces of evidence Of that evidence, 763 were drug and drug paraphernalia related The Investigations Unit alone was responsible for entering over 600 pieces of evidence Each year, the Investigations Unit utilizes computer forensics to help investigate and solve complicated fraud cases The types of frauds that our department sees continue to change as criminals become more creative In 2023, detectives were able to use new programs to track stolen money through the complex world of cryptocurrency Multiple cases resulted in the identification of specific international suspects With this information, detectives were able to send this information to federal agencies and utilize their resources to help stop these criminals One of the biggest cases of 2023 was an investigation into stolen property at one of our local businesses The suspect was well-known around Minnesota for using bad checks to purchase property and then immediately selling it to other people The Shakopee business lost over $30,000 in merchandise Detectives worked extensively with police departments throughout Minnesota and Wisconsin to recover some of the stolen property The suspect is currently in prison as attorneys work to prosecute him for his latest fraud scheme So far, Shakopee detectives have helped recover over $76,000 worth of stolen property

■ One tribal liaison detective ■ Two plain clothes detectives ■ One investigations assistant ■ One victim services coordinator ■ One crime prevention specialist

■ One drug task force agent ■ One evidence technician

The Investigations Unit was assigned approximately 600 cases in 2023 These cases consisted of fraud, assault, theft, burglary, death, and a variety of others Each case is reviewed by the investigations sergeant and assigned to a detective to work on Detectives are expected to investigate each case until a suspect is identified or all leads have been exhausted Detectives will also write search warrants, process crime scenes, and draft extensive reports Once completed, reports and documents are sent to the Scott County Attorney’s Office for review and potential prosecution This unit not only investigates cases but also partners with investigations units from other jurisdictions Together, detectives can collaborate on ideas and strategies to investigate crimes and identify suspects Additionally, the Investigations Unit partners with our local school district and community groups to provide insight and training On a quarterly basis, students from the Shakopee High School will come to the police department to hear about what detectives

Members of the Shakopee Police Department’s Investigations Unit

2023 Annual Report | 15