DECATUR-- Deputy Chief David Dickerson of the Decatur Police Department announced today the acquisition of a new vehicle designed to assist Detectives within the Criminal Investigations Division during the initial response to major crimes, such as homicides, major shootings, complex sexual assaults, significant drug related crimes and crimes requiring a complex evidentiary processing response.

The concept of having a vehicle specifically designed to address evidence collection at major crimes originated with Chief Todd Walker years ago, during his tenure working within the Investigations Bureau. It wasn’t until recently that the funding was made available.

The vehicle sits on a Ford E-350 Commercial Cutaway Chassis, with a Triton 5.4 Liter Engine. It was outfitted by Sirchie Vehicle Division out of Medford, New Jersey. The vehicle has a low profile walk-in evidence collection area, with a full complement of evidence recovery supplies and laminated surfaces which are easy to keep clean. The processing of crime scenes has become much more complex than in the past, requiring a vast amount of equipment at times. Having a vehicle in which the majority of our crime scene processing equipment can be stored together at all times will provide a quicker and more efficient response. The days of collecting our crime scene processing equipment within different locations at headquarters, packing it all up in one or two standard vehicles and responding to a major crime scene will now be a thing of the past.

This vehicle has an on board generator allowing for long term presence at a crime scene, while not compromising the evidence collection / analysis of recovered evidence. The generator will provide power to operate an on board furnace and air conditioner, as well as interior and exterior lighting. It is not unusual to encounter a major crime scene within a poorly lit structure, a residence without electrical power or in an outside night time environment. The new Sirchie Evidence Collection vehicle aids Detectives when faced with these circumstances, as well as those situations when processing evidence during inclement weather.

The acquisition of this vehicle will provide the necessary on-scene space and climate controlled environment to package and prepare evidence for transfer to the Illinois State Police Crime Lab. It will be outfitted with evidence packaging materials, latent print kits, DNA collection materials, cast impression materials, among many other needed crime scene processing items.

Detective Lieutenant Cody Moore, Detective Sergeant Shane Brandel and Detective Scott Cline played an important role in researching the design concept, in order to have it constructed designed with those features which are deemed important to our Agency when processing a crime scene.

The vehicle will be housed at the Law Enforcement Center and can be dispatched out at a moment’s notice whenever the need may arise.