The Canton Police Department Special Investigations Unit (SIU) consists of the Coordinated Response Team (CRT) and detectives assigned to multiple task forces, including the FBI Safe Streets Task Force, the ATF, the US Marshal’s Violent Fugitive Task Force, and the Stark County METRO Narcotics Task Force. The unit is tasked with conducting investigations, gathering intelligence, putting that intelligence to use, and supporting other bureaus in efforts to solve and reduce criminal activity.
CRT, which is supervised by one Sergeant, has two primary purposes:
- Gather intelligence through human sources and social media, combine that information with reports and data to improve the overall understanding of violent crime within the City, including; emerging violence, group association, planning or potential violence, and current investigations of known violent acts.
- Use the intelligence to actively disrupt violent individuals and group through an increase in presence, home visits, criminal traffic interdiction, pedestrian stops, search warrants, and collaborative visits with other agencies such as probation and parole. The CRT also works closely with the Uniformed Patrol shifts and routinely combines units to carry out Violence Interdiction Patrols.
SIU supports other bureaus within the department with acquisition and service of search warrants, locating and apprehension of suspects, and undercover surveillance operations. SIU supervisors are also sometimes asked to handle sensitive investigations.