Detective
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Detective
Superiors: Head of Security
Difficulty: Hard
Guides: Guide to Security, Space Law
Access: Security, Detective's Office, Morgue, Maintenance
Duties: Investigate crime scenes, record evidence, prosecute criminals.
The Detective's job is to investigate the remains of any crime, identify the perpetrator, and then ask Security to arrest them for you. They have no brig access because they are supposed to be an evidence collector and investigator, not a Security Officer or Warden.
Detective Inspector
YOU ARE NOT SECURITY. YOU ARE A FORENSICS EXPERT.
See standard security procedures for more about evidence collecting.
As a detective, your primary duty is to go to crime scenes and find out who committed them. You do this with your Forensic Scanner and with the help of Medical Autopsies.
Your Forensic Scanner is located in your backpack. Go to the crime scene, then scan all the surfaces - you should also scan (and collect using evidence bags) any evidence you see, as well as the bodies of any dead victims. Send the body off the medical for an Autopsy and have the results sent to you. This should help identify the cause of death and the murder weapon.
Remember to ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS wear your gloves, or you will record your own prints when you are handling fingerprint cards. This will at best slow identification down, and at worst get you thrown into the brig for the very crime you were investigating and/or being incompetent.
Now, head back to your office. Put your Scanner into the 'High-Res Forensic Scanning Computer'. This will consolidate any partial prints and match them in a single dossier file. It will also show the identity of any fibres on the evidence you scanned.
From this point you may have one of three things on the dossier. An incomplete print, a partial print or a full print. If you have a partial or full print, grab the largest string you can get and search the records for a match.
If you have no prints, try to work on fibres. Some departments have unique clothing, but often criminals will use this to try and fool you. Fibres aren't full proof, but they can give you good leads. Remember that Latex Gloves still leave material and also have a chance of leaving fingerprints.
If you have multiple hits, you're going to have to do some more investigating and possibly some interviews.
If you get a single hit, you've got your guy. Make sure to set him to arrest and bring him in for questioning.
Make sure you write down what crimes they actually committed in the appropriate boxes, and that you tell the rest of security over the radio to arrest them, otherwise nothing will get done.
Proper Proceedings
Have a folder on you at all times in order to keep the printed reports in one easily accessible package. Most of your work will be comprised of matching prints and DNA with potential suspects, but craftier antagonists will require more in-depth investigations.
Technically, you aren't really allowed to do anything until a crime happens and you get something to investigate (be it the Chef's knife being stolen, or the Teleporter having been broken into again). Luckily, there are some other things that the Detective can do instead:
- Patrol for any crimes, and call security to the scene. Block the area with police tape and perform your forensic magic.
- Related to the above, patrol the maintenance tunnels. Security Officers rarely take to them, and the winding paths make great hiding spots for illegal activities.
- Be a general assistant to Security. In-depth knowledge of Space Law is a major plus, and even though you can't brig anyone, you can still make sure Security doesn't overdo it.
- Use the camera terminal in your office to scan the station - it looks like an old-fashioned TV. Look around for any crimes, then report it over the Security channel or head over there yourself. It's probably not a good idea to announce it over the general radio, or the criminal in question will usually realize that you're onto them and get away.
- Update the security records. This is meant to be the Warden's job, but you'll be hard pressed to see him actually doing that.
Equipment
Here is a list of stuff that the either Detective spawns with, or is in his office:
- Cigarettes and Zippo lighter - Not actually necessary.
- A coat and hat - Not only do these make you look cool, but they act as armour.
- File:BGloves.png Black Gloves - As stated above, NEVER take these off if you are planning on being an actual detective and doing your damn job, or you will get your own prints on everything you touch and mess up the evidence.
A security radio headset - This gives you access to the security channel so you can tell the officers to arrest insert-criminal-name-here.- Your forensics scanner - Found in your backpack. Use this to scan for fingerprints and blood. Will give you the details after a short scan, and can print out a report on a paper sheet.
- A .38 revolver - Fires rubber bullets designed to knock people down, doing around 10 brute damage. You should combine this with the shoulder holster found in your closet for ease of access.
- Spare ammo for the revolver - You may want to put these in your box. Bother Cargo or Science to get more made in an autolathe.
- A tape recorder - For documenting interviews with suspects. Remember, it can record anything said around you from you hand, suit storage, or pockets, holding up to 3 hours of conversations! Pretty cool, huh? Make sure to keep extra tapes at hand.
- A hand labeler - For labeling evidence.
- A camera - This is supposed to be for taking pictures of evidence, but it's obsolete in the face of the forensics scanner.
- Sunglasses - These will protect you from flashes and complete the film noir look.
Traitoring
If you want to remain hidden, use a chameleon projector. You already have a gun, but a handgun that can actually hit people with its bullets (Note: A recent revision permits the detectives revolver to chamber and fire the lethal rounds, and vice versa.) might be better, and your position of trust on the station makes it easy to both fabricate and erase evidence. Play it cool, be patient, and safely abscond, just like countless noir heroes of fiction you're based on.