Detective
Detective
Superiors: Head of Security
Difficulty: Medium
Guides: Guide to Security, Space Law
Access: Security, Detective's Office, Morgue, Maintenance
Duties: Investigate crime scenes, record evidence, prosecute criminals.
Departmental Head
Head of Security
| Guide to Security • | Combat • | Identifying Antagonists • | Riot Control • | MODsuits • | Security Items • | Space Law • | Standard SOP • | Legal SOP • | Security SOP |
The Detective's (Also known as a Foresenic Technician) 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.
Required Knowledge
Out of Character wise: Read the rules carefully before playing as a member of Security.
In character wise: Knowledge of Space Law is vital. You cannot investigate crimes if you do not know what is and isn't a crime!
Robustness is useful but not mandatory. It is not your job to hunt down and robust people.
Some medical knowledge is useful, to ascertain where damage came from.
For Standard Operating Procedure for this role and other security roles, please see Standard Operating Procedure (Security).
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 special forensic 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 use your scanner with the prints or DNA you identified with it to find the identity of the one who left prints on an object/surface, or whose blood was on the ground around a crime scene.
From this point you may also print out a full report from the scanner that can be used in trials or just put in a filing cabinet for later use.
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 - Because nothing says "Noir" like giving yourself lung cancer.
A coat and hat - Not only do these make you look cool, but they act as armour. However, during Code Red the coat should be swapped for the armor in your locker.
Forensics Gloves - The Black Gloves you start with are NOT Forensics Gloves, which are found in your Locker, and should be put on ASAP. 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, fibers and blood. Will give you the details after a short scan, and can print out a report on a paper sheet.You can also use it in your hand to identify Fingerprints/DNA without having to access the Security/Medical Records Consoles, which is convenient if you need to identify a perp quickly.
A .38 revolver - Fires rubber bullets designed to knock people down, doing around 5 brute damage and knocking them down for 3 seconds. You should combine this with the shoulder holster found in your closet for ease of access. With hotkeys on, you can press H to holster and unholster your revolver when for a quick draw.
Spare .38 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.- File:Labler.png 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.
Noir Sunglasses - These will protect you from flashes and complete the film noir look. You can also activate "Noir" vision, turning everything black and white except for blood stains.- 'Acceptable' Sunglasses - "YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH"
Antagging
The Detective is inelligible for antag selection at the start of the round due to possessing a Mindshield Implant, with the exception of Blob.