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The Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI), located in the Village of Barnstable , in the Public Safety Complex on the hill behind District Court, was established in 1935 by an act of Massachusetts State Legislature to assist local law enforcement agencies on Cape Cod . Due to the Cape ’s uniqueness, and its isolation, the state recognized the need for local law enforcement to have support in their efforts to solve crimes. Today, there are eight Criminal Identification Officers available to respond to the 15 police departments located on Cape Cod (occasionally the Islands ), as well as to assist Federal and State agencies. Approximately 2,700 calls for assistance are made to the Bureau of Criminal Identification annually. Most calls to which the unit members respond are related to the processing of a crime scene, including motor vehicle accidents, assaults, home invasions and robberies. The Bureau is also ready to assist in any man made or natural disaster.
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The CIOs participate in state and local investigators’ meetings or briefings and two are members of the Cape Cod Accident Reconstruction Team. The Director participates in some of the same meetings but more particularly those involving the Cape Chiefs of Police. The sharing of intelligence is critical to maintaining a high service level and providing for the safety of the public we all serve. Accordingly the BCI is working with federal, state and local agencies to collect and disseminate information pertaining to cases with which any department needs assistance. An example is similarity of burglaries noted from town to town where a potential suspect or suspects are operating across town borders. Crime analysis is critical at times to aid in the apprehension of those responsible for committing crimes in our collective jurisdictions. The unit is always available to the county’s agencies for public service training or informational presentations. Criminal Identification Officers are trained in the forensic sciences, including latent fingerprint comparison and ridgeology, photography, DNA Collections as well as criminal procedures. Most are former police officers with a wide array of experience and expertise. Some areas of specialized training in the Bureau include forensic video analysis, the creation of computerized facial composites, composite artistry, and foot wear impressions. The need to certify the officers as expert witnesses is covered in the training to comply with accreditation as well as legal principles with which they are confronted regularly.
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The Bureau of Criminal Investigation is also responsible for over 50,000 individual inked finger print cards for possible suspect identification. The Bureau also has an AFIS (Automated Fingerprint Identification System) machine, which enables the Criminal Identification Officer to view any fingerprint card located in the State of Massachusetts finger print card system. This capability allows comparisons of latent prints (taken from crime scenes) with national and state data banks. When responding to crime scenes, Criminal Identification Officers are responsible for the detection, preservation and identification of all of the physical evidence found at the scene. When collected, it is the determined how the evidence is to be processed. Evidence can be processed on site, at our laboratory, or sent to another agency such as the Massachusetts State Police Crime Lab. All of the photographs taken at any crime scene are developed at our in house photo lab.
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What is a Latent Finger Print? On the palmar surface of the hands and soles of the feet is a specific type of skin called “friction ridge skin”. This type of skin forms different types of ridge patterns and characteristics that are unique and permanent to each individual. These ridges bear a row of sweat pores which the average person constantly exudes perspiration. Also, the ridges of the fingers and palms are in intermittent contact with other parts of the body, such as the hair, and face, and with other various objects which may leave an oily film or moisture on the ridges. Upon touching an object, this film may be transferred to an object, leaving an outlined impression of the ridges of the fingers or palm which is undetected by the eye. This is what is referred to as a “latent” impression, meaning “hidden”. Latent impressions are of the greatest importance to the Criminal Identification Officer as the identification of them may solve a crime, and result in the successful prosecution of the subject in question.
For more information on the Bureau of Criminal Investigation please contact:
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