Criminology and Criminal Justice Commons^™

Expanding The Role Of Patrol In Criminal Investigations: Houston’S Investigative First Responder Project, Dennis Kenney, Michael White, Marc Ruffinengo

Marc A. Ruffinengo

Research in the late 1970s discovered two on-going problems with criminal investigations. The first problem involved the inefficiency in the work done by detectives, and the second centered on the misunderstood role of patrol officers in those investigations. In recognition of these ongoing problems, the Houston police department (HPD) sought to improve its investigative capacity and effectiveness through the Investigative First Responder (IFR) project, a pilot program initiated in early 2007 that specially trained and reassigned 45 patrol officers to investigative status so that they could assume responsibility for Part 1 crimes. This article examined the impact of the IFR …