The Chatham County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigation Division (CID) is made up of one Lieutenant, and nine Sergeants. The Division consists of one supervisor, six criminal investigators, one juvenile crime investigator, one gang investigator and three domestic violence investigators. Sheriff Webster implemented a Family Violence Unit consisting of the expertise of three of the above officers to assist in potentially criminal problems that might arise in the family setting.

CID is responsible for the investigation of all felony crimes, serious misdemeanors, and manpower permitting the investigation of lesser crimes. The daily volume of new case assignments compels investigators to allocate their time on a priority basis with the most serious crimes receiving first consideration. The extent of other investigations is determined by the circumstances involved, along with the amount of available time.

The basic purpose of the CID is to investigate designated serious crimes in order to arrest and convict perpetrators and recover stolen property. If the perpetrator has not been arrested, the investigator must analyze and integrate the information attained, continuing his investigation. His skill and ability, his background of experience, and his possession of many facts for similarly related investigations qualify him for this task.

To reach his objectives, he seeks the aid of experts in specialized fields, technicians, forensic specialists, etc., and couples this with his training, his developed knowledge of informants and his experience in dealing with a number of perpetrators. His investigation must be complete in every detail to assure a successful prosecution and conviction when present in a court of law.

The storage and safekeeping of all found property/evidence is primarily handled by Sgt. Chris Cooper, Captain Roy Allen and Major Gary Blankenship.

The normal hours for the Detective Division are 8:00 A.M. to 11:00 P.M. Monday through Saturday. During other hours, there is always a detective on call available to respond, day or night, to any incident requiring immediate follow up.