Criminal Investigations Division

Mission Statement: It is the commitment of the Criminal Investigation Division (CID) to strive for excellence and professionalism; to provide compassion and understanding while diligently working for the citizens in their time of need.

The Columbia County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Division is comprised of multiple units that assist local, state and federal government agencies by collecting, analyzing, and disseminating criminal intelligence information throughout the state and nation to support criminal investigations. The Divisions units are broken down into the following investigative teams: Crime Scene, Sex Crimes, Fraud, Homicide, Property, and our Sex Offender Unit. Additionally within the Division there are several special investigative units that conduct investigations in the following areas: Multi Jurisdictional Task Force, Warrants, and Special Investigations.

In addition to these duties CID is responsible for the administrative support of the Sheriff’s Office through Evidence, Property Room, Records, and Victim Services.

Detectives are on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week, on a rotational basis, to respond to emergency investigative needs but are normally available Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. to provide assistance when needed.

Crime Scene
The Crime Scene Unit identifies, collects, preserves and conducts examinations of physical evidence recovered at crime scenes, accident locations and other investigations. The unit also provides technical assistance to the Sheriff’ Office staff, State Attorney, and other agencies as necessary. The members of the unit are trained on the use of alternate light sources, scientific chemical testing, advanced photography techniques, advanced fingerprint lifting techniques, and latent print examination. The unit can process any crime scene from a minor incident to major homicide.

Multi-Jurisdictional Drug Task Force
The Multi-Jurisdictional Task Force is a multi-agency task force that is primarily used to identify and arrest individuals or criminal organizations in the sale and distribution of illegal or controlled substances. The Multi-Jurisdictional Task Force, originated in 1997, is comprised of Sheriff’s Office Detectives and officers from the Lake City Police Department. Agents from each of the following agencies also participate in complex investigations: Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the Drug Enforcement Agency. Information comes from members of the general public and other informants which allow the Multi-Jurisdictional Task Force to remove drugs from Columbia County. The Multi-Jurisdictional Task Force would not be effective without the help provided by the community. If you have any information regarding narcotics activity, you may contact the Drug Task Force at (386) 754-7043 or by sending an anonymous tip to the following email address.www.columbiacrimestoppers.net.

Special Investigations
The function of the Special Investigations Section is to protect the integrity of the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office and its personnel, both sworn and non-sworn.

A proper relationship between the Sheriff’s Office and the citizens of Columbia County fostered by confidence and trust, is essential to effective law enforcement. Sheriff’s personnel must be free to exercise their best judgment and to initiate action in a reasonable, lawful, impartial manner without fear of reprisal. At the same, they must observe the rights of all people.

This system of complaint and disciplinary procedures not only subjects the officer to corrective action when they conduct their self improperly, but also protects them from unwarranted criticism when they discharge their duties properly

Property/Evidence
The Property and Evidence Section is responsible for securely storing all evidence obtained during criminal investigations from the Sheriff’s Office. All of these items must be stored until the criminal case is disposed of in the court system. That time frame may be from a couple of days to several years later, depending on the type of crime committed.

If you have been notified to pick up an item that is being held by the Sheriff’s Office, please make arrangements with the Evidence Custodian by calling (386) 752-9212. Items may be picked-up between 9:00 am and 3:30 pm Monday thru Friday.

Vehicles that have been seized by the Sheriff’s Office are processed thru our attorney. If you are given a Notice of Seizure by the arresting officer, contact the CCSO Legal Affairs Coordinator at 719-7541 or the Sheriff’s Administrative Assistant at 758-1104.

If you have been contacted referencing a vehicle that was being held for investigative reasons and is ready to be returned by the Sheriff’s Office attorney to the registered owner contact our Crime Scene Investigator at 758-1314 prior to attempting to recover your vehicle.

Records
The Records Section provides centralized storage and retrieval for all incident and offense reports generated by the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office. Additionally, the Records Section personnel direct all incoming switchboard calls to their proper location, respond to public record requests, and maintain the Uniform Crime Reporting information for the state and national crime statistics.

The Records Section customer service window is operational 8:00 am – 4:00 pm, Monday through Friday.

Local Criminal History Check (also called “Background Checks”) – Listing of all Columbia County arrests. Case disposition information is available through the Columbia County Clerk of Courts

Warrants
The Columbia County Warrants Section is comprised of two units, the Warrants unit and the Fugitive Warrants unit. The Warrant Unit consists of three full-time clerks who receive and process all warrants issued by the Columbia Circuit and County Courts. They also receive and process all warrants from other agencies in which the person being sought is believed to be in Columbia County. All of the warrants and other criminal process are entered into local databases. The clerks are responsible for making entries into the Florida Crime Information Center (FCIC)/National Crime Information Center (NCIC) databases on selected warrants. The clerks coordinate with other agencies on prisoner transportation and provide other agencies with information on warrants and criminal process held or received by the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office. The clerks provide investigative assistance to investigators or other department personnel.

The Fugitive Warrants unit is currently comprised of one full-time Deputy. The primary responsibility of the Warrants Deputy is to locate and arrest persons sought on misdemeanor and felony warrants and other criminal process issued within the circuit court of Columbia County. Their priority is on felony warrants and related criminal process. The Deputy also locates and arrests fugitives who are wanted in other jurisdictions that seek refuge in Columbia County. They are the contact point in dealing with fugitive matters and assist other agencies such as the FBI, US Marshal’s Service, State Attorney’s Office, and other law enforcement offices.