Advancing To A Specialized Unit
When you ask many cops about how to get to a specialized unit, their initial response is that the selection process “isn’t fair…”
And that can be true.
There’s agencies and units where advancement isn’t conducted fairly.
You usually can’t control that.
But you can control something important: your body of work.
First you need to identify what’s most important about where you want to go.
Reverse Engineer
One of the keys to achieving your goals in law enforcement is to identify what’s needed to achieve it.
What’s important when applying to a specialized unit?
Proving your aptitude and capability to fill the role you’re applying for.
If your goal is to become a detective, figure out what detectives do.
Then start doing it. Don’t wait. Start now.
Whether its gang unit or plain clothes or K9, by identifying the common traits and skills needed to fill that role, you can carve the path that leads you directly to becoming a quality candidate.
If you don’t know what the role requires, begin by looking up the reports written by the individuals already in that role.
See what they did to investigate and close a case, the investigative techniques they used, and the resources they leveraged.
In any investigative role you will be conducted a lot of the following tasks:
• Follow-ups
• Interviews and interrogations
• Speaking to victims
• Report writing
• Writing search warrants
Other examples include conducting surveillance (plain clothes) or uncovering hangout locations (gang unit).
Once you figure this out you can tailor your day-to-day activities towards building and demonstrating your competency in those specific skill sets.
Remember, when you interview for a position, you’ll want to show your commitment and willingness to take on those specific responsibilities.
The best way to do that?
Showing that you already have.
For example, if you’re a uniformed patrol officer looking to be selected for a plain clothes role, you should look for opportunities to practice and apply the skills that a plain clothes position requires.
One way to do that is to find an opportunity to work in an unmarked vehicle.
Some shifts or units may offer the chance to be a “spotter”, an officer patrolling in an unmarked vehicle with the intent of identifying criminal activity.
Spotters help uncover criminal or suspicious acts in progress and direct other uniformed units to investigate further.
Officers can also work to develop or identify an investigation/case that would be enhanced through covert surveillance.
By identifying a good “target” or case, other specialized units might be interested in working with you, allowing for valuable on-the-job training.
Here’s a real world example of a case worked by a member of a uniformed unit operating in a plain clothes spotter role:
• January 18, 2018 - I was conducting plain clothes surveillance in an unmarked police vehicle on _________________. I observed an individual conduct what appeared to be two separate drug transactions. I coordinated with the other members of ________ to stop a subject believed to be the individual distributing CDS. The subject attempted to evade ________ on foot but was ultimately apprehended. I conducted an interview of the subject at the _________ station and gained consent from the subject to search his phone. An examination of the phone revealed multiple text messages confirming a planned meetup to conduct a drug transaction. I acquired information related to the distribution of marijuana and Xanax as well as the contact information for the subject’s supplier. In addition, a name and number of the subject’s supplier was acquired.
• January 23, 2018 - I identified the possible user of a cell phone # with the assistance of the Social Media Unit believed to be the supplier to the initial subject arrested in this case.
• January 26, 2018 - I served a subpoena to Sprint Spectrum LLC for the subscriber information of the referenced cell phone number.
• Information revealed a link to ______________________ (address).
• February 21, 2018 - A trash pull and covert surveillance was conducted on the residence.
• February 23, 2018 - I was contacted by an officer advising that the original suspect was arrested again along with another individual for PWID. I assisted with a consent search of the subject’s bedroom after obtaining consent with the suspect’s mother. No evidentiary items were found during the search.
• March 12, 2018 - I applied for and obtained a search warrant for the subject’s cell phone. Cell phone revealed indications of firearm possession, CDS distribution (marijuana, Xanax, LSD), and links to a credit card fraud scheme. Social media accounts for __________________ were also retrieved and pictures of him with multiple firearms along with discussions about credit card fraud.
• March 2018 – I along with another ________ member conducted surveillance of several work and girlfriend’s addresses linked to ________________ with negative results for ______________ or vehicles
linked to him.
• April 2018 – Conducted surveillance looking for ________________ based on an FTA arrest warrant for his arrest.
This case highlights many of the skills and attributes needed in order to work on a plain clothes unit:
• Covert surveillance
• Identification of criminal activity
• Interview and interrogation
• Coordination with other units
• Trash pulls
• Writing and serving subpoenas and search warrants
This one case can boost an officer’s resume in order to substantiate that officer’s capability to become a successful plainclothes officer.
You can do this on regular service calls as well:
• Go the extra mile on that theft or burglary investigation
• Interview witnesses and victims and document those on body camera or via written notes
• Have victims/witnesses complete written statements
• Document neighborhood canvas’
• Follow-up with victims days or weeks after to determine if there’s been any new items found missing
• Ask for assistance from surveillance units to help identify potential suspects
• Write and obtain search warrants where applicable
Speak with your crime analyst to determine if the crime matches a particular trend or pattern.
These are all things that patrol cops can accomplish over time if committed to it.
Make the most of every case
Some of the best detectives have an important trait in common: tenacity.
While many patrol officers work to get through a call just so they can go back to doing whatever it is they were doing prior to being dispatched, determined officers have a desire to actually solve cases. To be a successful investigator, you have to be willing to do more than most cops.
That means working a case until you can’t anymore.
Obviously, some cases are going to require more than others.
However, most great cases begin with just one suspected crime but quickly splinter off into others.
Those who are engaged in criminal activity rarely engage in just one crime.
The more effort you put into a case, the more experience you develop and the better chance you’ll uncover criminal activity you won’t initially see.
Build relationships
A huge mistake to avoid is interfering with a specialized unit’s operations when operating in your beat.
Reputation travels fast.
You always want to be the type of cop to put your best foot forward.
A great specialized unit will be proactive about connecting with patrol to familiarize the patrol units with their faces and vehicles.
But this doesn’t always happen.
Unless you’ve worked on that specific unit itself it will also be nearly impossible for you to understand how they operate.
But a great patrol officer will always be mindful of specialized units working in their beat.
The best way to build a good relationships with these units is twofold:
1. Stay out of their way unless they need you
2. Be on point when they do need you
This is important because it will show a level of competence these units are looking for in future candidates.
A great way to also build a relationship with the units is to attend department level training that they put on.
Connecting with these units will help them get to know your name so they recognize it if you ever put in for the unit itself or for a temporary assignment.