Hamilton County Sheriff's Office Masthead
Special Services

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Phone: (423) 209-7000
After Hours / Non-Emergency: 423-622-0022
Emergency: Dial 911
Special Services

Electronic Crime is any crime committed with a computer or other electronic device. This includes, but is not limited to, manufacture of or distribution of child pornography, identity theft, fraud, or software piracy or other copyright infringement.

If you have information pertaining to an Electronic Crime, please call Hamilton County Sheriff's Office dispatch at (423) 622-0022.

Goals and Objectives

  • Enhance communication between the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office and the community through the use of electronic medium.
  • Provide public safety information to the community regarding Internet use.
  • To assist the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office, other law enforcement agencies and citizens with the seizure of computers and the recovery of information involving criminal offenses.
  • To provide technical assistance to this department and other agencies regarding audio/visual enhancement through the use of computers.
  • To develop and distribute criminal analysis patterns to law enforcement agencies in this area.

The Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office Electronic Crimes Unit continually updates the skills set of the officers/employees through training and education in the latest computer forensic software and practices. This web site is one the tools for this unit. This site has been developed to enhance information flow not only within the department but also to and from the community. Information flow is crucial for any organization and especially for law enforcement. Information flow is critical for assessing our performance in serving our community, the citizens of Hamilton County.

Special Investigations - Evidence Response Team

The Evidence Response Team was formed in August of 1999. This team responds to assist in all cases consisting of suspicious death, homicide, suicide and other critical incidents.

If you have information pertaining to a crime, please contact the Criminal Investigations Division at (423) 209-8940 during regular business hours, or call Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office dispatch at (423) 622-0022.

Goals and Objectives

  • To process crime scenes in a professional manner providing a foundation for the successful prosecution of offenders and exclusion of the innocent.
  • To establish and apply general guidelines for the processing of crime scenes.
  • To provide a team approach for major incidents, freeing up case agents to follow up on information during the first twenty-four hours of a critical incident.

The first step taken by the Criminal Investigation Division was to equip an evidence response vehicle with basic equipment and packaging items necessary for the processing of scenes. With the assistance of HCSO Motorpool, the unit converted an old county ambulance into a crime scene van. Since inception, equipment has been added including digital cameras, a forensic light kit, trace hair and fiber recovery kit, tools necessary for the recovery of evidence as well as existing latent and casting equipment. The division also utilizes a Cyanoacrylate chamber to assist in developing fingerprints.

Since the inception of the Crime Scene Unit, the department has 4 investigators that have graduated from The National Forensic Academy (NFA), which an intensive 10-week training program, funded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance, designed to meet the needs of law enforcement agencies in evidence identification, collection, and preservation. The NFA is offered in-residence, utilizing curriculum developed by leading forensic practitioners from across the United States. Participants are challenged in the various disciplines through classroom instruction, lab activities, and field practicums in the specialized courses. Academy participants completed written and in-class competency exams to demonstrate mastery of the subject areas. The Academy prepares the crime scene investigator to recognize key elements and to improve the process of evidence recovery and submission.

Modules covered during this ten-week course include: Arson, Auto Theft Investigation, Bloodstain Pattern Analysis, Bombs, Booby Traps and Threats at the Scene, Bullet Trajectory and Reconstruction, Crime Scene Management, Computer Sketching and Mapping, Court Room Testimony, Criminal Investigative Analysis, DNA, Firearms and Toolmark Identification, Footwear and Tire Impressions, Latent Fingerprint Processing, Photography (35mm, digital and videotaping), Post Mortem Fingerprinting, Trace Evidence, Weapons of Mass Destruction, Death Investigation (Autopsy, Bone Trauma, Child Fatality, Manners of Death, Wound Pattern Interpretation), Forensic Anthropology (Bone Scatter Search, Entomology, Forensic Odontology, Forensic Osteology, and Human Remains Recovery.

Special Investigations - Fire Investigations

The Criminal Investigation Division is responsible for conducting fire investigations in the unincorporated areas of Hamilton County. Fire Investigation provides for the apprehension of arsonists who cause billions of dollars in property damage, fraud, and death each year. The Department also utilizes the ATF/BATS (Bomb Arson Tracking System) program to track arson registrants, parolees, suspects, and compile fire statistics. This unit utilizes experienced firefighters that work in partnership with the Hamilton County Fire Task Force in determining origin and cause of all fires. The Investigators has received specialized training in fire investigations from National and State Fire Academy. The investigators follow NFPA 921 standard as it pertains to fire investigation.

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Criminal Investigations
6233 Dayton Boulevard
Chattanooga, TN 37343
Phone: (423) 209-8940
Fax: (423) 209-8878

©2021 Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office
Phone: (423) 209-7000
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