The Detective Division is staffed with twenty-five (25) employees. There are 19 detectives, 15 assigned to conduct investigations from cases generated within the Sparks Police Department. One detective is assigned to the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) Narcotics Task Force, one detective is assigned to the Regional Street Enforcement Team (SET) and one detective is assigned to work with the Regional Repeat Offender Program (ROP). One detective is assigned to work with the Regional Sex Offender Notification Unit (RSONU). Clerical support is provided by two civilian Police Office Specialists and one Police Assistant (PA). The detective Division is also staffed with one civilian Victim Advocate.
The Detective Division is supervised by a Commander and two Sergeants who provide direct supervision to the detectives and office support staff. The supervisors review all major case reports submitted by patrol officers and assign cases to detectives for investigation. The cases are broken down into four categories and assigned to the appropriate detective based on the crime being investigated. The four categories are: major crimes, family violence, fraud and burglary. There are three detectives assigned to investigate major crimes, i.e. Homicides, Kidnappings, and Robberies. There are four detectives assigned to investigate family violence crimes, i.e. adult and child sexual assaults, child abuse and domestic violence cases. There are three detectives assigned to investigate burglaries, i.e. commercial, residential and vehicle. There are four detectives assigned to investigate fraud, i.e. forgeries, identity theft, embezzlements, obtaining money/property under false pretenses, counterfeit money and elder abuse involving fraud.