The Crime Scene Investigations Bureau (CSIB) provides support services in the form of crime scene processing, fingerprint identification, and forensic imaging to departmental entities. The services are extended within Miami-Dade County to federal, state, and local agencies. The Bureau is staffed by 102 full time personnel. The Investigations and Fingerprint Identification Sections have units within the sections that operate 24 hours/7 days a week.

Investigations Section
The Investigations Section is responsible for detecting, collecting, preserving, and transporting evidence from crime scenes. The section is comprised of two units: the Major Crimes Unit is primarily responsible for the processing crime scenes that are investigated by the Miami-Dade Police Department Criminal Investigations Division. The Regional Unit’s primary function is to process burglary crime scenes. 
 
Forensic Imaging Section
The Forensic Imaging Section provides forensic, studio, and field photography, as well as digital imaging and enhancement of photographic images in support of the Department’s mission. The Section maintains the photographic and digital mugshot image files for access by departmental, municipal, state, and federal law enforcement agencies. The Section also provides all departmental entities with photographic film and photo finishing. The Section is divided into three units: Photographic Services Unit, Support Unit, and the Forensic Art Unit.

• The Photographic Services Unit
  The Photographic Services Unit provides specialized evidence photography to the Investigations Section, Fingerprint Identification Section, Forensic Art Unit, Crime Laboratory Bureau, and other law enforcement agencies upon request. The Unit also provides photographic support services for special events, awards ceremonies, historical events, and other occurrences or requests deemed appropriate. A recent addition to the services provided by the Unit is digital imagery. Utilizing computer software programs, Unit personnel can create composite digital images and enhance photo images.
   
• The Forensic Art Unit
  The Forensic Art Unit provides computer-generated or forensic artist renderings of subjects or witnesses involved in criminal investigations. Unit personnel can enhance photographs to assist in the identification of persons, vehicles, or articles involved in criminal investigations. They also have the ability to create two- and three-dimensional facial reconstructions of unidentified human remains that should bear a close resemblance to how the individual appeared in life. Lastly, they are able to alter the image of an individual in order to represent how that person has aged over a specific period of time.
   
• The Support Unit
  The Support Unit provides support services and clerical assistance to the Photographic Services Unit. Personnel coordinate records-management and warehouse requests for photographs for older cases that are no longer available in current records. The Unit also provides counter support for departmental, municipal, federal, and state law enforcement personnel requesting booking photographs or assistance in compiling a photographic lineup. 
   
  Fingerprint Identification Section
  The Fingerprint Identification Section (FIS) is comprised of the Master File Unit, AFIS Unit, and Latent Unit. The Section has fingerprint analysts on duty 24 hours a day/7 days a week. The analysts classify, search, and identify fingerprints of persons arrested, using current technology and traditional examination procedures. Evidence recovered from crime scenes is processed to develop fingerprints or palm prints that may be identified with suspects or victims.
   
  Expert Testimony is given by fingerprint analysts and latent fingerprint examiners in courts of law concerning the positive identification of fingerprints from crime scenes. Fingerprint identifications play a major part in criminal apprehensions and convictions.

• The Master File Unit
  The Master File Unit is responsible for processing arrest fingerprints submitted by the Department of Corrections. Analysts are responsible for classifying fingerprints, searching files to locate prior records, entering fingerprint records into the automated system, and fingerprinting and palm-printing persons, both living and deceased.
   
• The AFIS (Automated Fingerprint Identification System) Unit
  The AFIS (Automated Fingerprint Identification System) Unit is responsible for maintaining the computerized portion of the Section. The AFIS database now contains more than 732,4444 ten-print records and 59,113 latent fingerprints.
  
  The Miami-Dade Police Department has implemented a new method for recording and storing latent palmprints left at crimes scenes. Since the Department purchased the Automated Palmprint System, developed by Motorola, on April 10, 2003, there have been 57,549 palmprint standards and 8,658 latent palmprints entered into the database. To date, 209 latent indentifications have been made on the system.
  
• The Latent Unit
  The Latent Unit is responsible for evaluating and comparing physical evidence submitted from crime scenes and for giving expert testimony in court. Latent Print Examiners in the Unit use mechanical and chemical methods to develop latent fingerprints on evidence.

Crime Scene Investigations Bureau Information

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