Overview
As part of its
statutory obligations under Nevada Revised Statutes 480.400 through 480.520,
and 453.271, the Nevada Department of Public Safety, Investigation Division
provides criminal and administrative investigatory response to local, state,
and federal law enforcement and criminal justice agencies throughout the State
of Nevada. These investigative responses
include such crimes or incidents as homicide and questionable deaths, in-custody
deaths, officer-involved shootings, threats against public officials and state
employees, sex crimes, crimes against children, auto theft, financial crimes,
election fraud, public misconduct, administrative investigations, and polygraph
examinations. The Investigation Division
can serve as a force multiplier for local law enforcement agencies, and
generally becomes involved in an incident following a request by the impacted
agency for investigative resources and personnel.
The
Investigation Division also conducts a variety of narcotic investigations which
focus on the illegal use, sales, distribution, trafficking, cultivation, or
manufacture of controlled substances such as Methamphetamine, Cocaine, Heroin,
and Marijuana, as well as the abuse or diversion of prescription and pharmaceutical
drugs. As part of its narcotics
enforcement efforts, the Investigation Division oversees five multijurisdictional
task forces throughout Nevada, which operate in partnership with the impacted
local law enforcement agencies. The Investigation
Division further participates as a member in two federal drug enforcement task
forces, one in Northern Nevada and one in Southern Nevada. The Investigation Division also participates
in multijurisdictional efforts to identify and eradicate illegal Marijuana
grows in Nevada.
The
Investigation Division houses the Nevada Threat Analysis Center (NTAC)—Nevada’s
state fusion center. The NTAC is one of
78 federally recognized fusion centers in the United States, and is tasked to
receive, analyze, disseminate, and gather information for local partners
related to terrorism, organized criminal activity, and other public safety hazards. In support of
that effort, the Investigation Division has a detective assigned to the
Southern Nevada Counter Terrorism Center (SNCTC), the state’s other fusion
center located in Clark County, to help ensure that information sharing efforts
across the state are fully integrated.
Detectives
assigned to the Investigation Division receive training in a variety of
specialized areas such as drug enforcement and clandestine laboratory
investigations, pharmaceutical diversion investigations, crime scene
investigations, crimes against person investigations—especially in matters
involving children, police integrity investigations, officer involved shooting
investigations, auto theft investigations, homeland security matters, and
polygraph services.
Due to the
nature of its mandate, the Investigation Division’s efforts may not always be
readily visible to the general public. However,
the Investigation Division remains pivotal and critical in helping our partners
ensure safe and livable communities for all the citizens of Nevada.