The investigation of most crimes are conducted by a uniformed patrol officer, who then files an offense report to document his or her findings. In many cases, the patrol officer is able to complete the investigation, identify the suspects, and make arrests or file charges to close the case.
The El Reno Police Departments Criminal Investigation Division is responsible for conducting follow-up investigations on cases where there have been no clear leads to follow up on or if more in-depth or specialized investigation is required. Almost every type of crime from Drug Investigations, Auto Burglaries, Check Forgery, Credit Card Fraud, Home Burglaries, Identity Theft, Homicides or Suspicious Deaths, and numerous other crimes are forwarded to the Investigations Division for follow-up.
Lieutenant Paul Ratliff currently commands the Investigations Division. Investigations is currently comprised of 6 Detectives.