By District Attorney Ryan Sayers
2023 Vol. 30
This week’s Q&A with the DA is going to address questions related to the new County Detective.
Specifically, I was asked, “what is the role of the county detective?” and, “how will the detective work with local law enforcement?”
Pursuant to Pennsylvania Statute, the district attorney of each county is able to employ county detectives under their supervision and control, and these county detectives have countywide jurisdiction, instead of being limited to an individual municipality.
In larger counties, some district attorneys have a couple dozen county detectives, and in smaller counties (like Clearfield) there might only be one or two detectives.
Even with the large disparity in the number of detectives, the purpose and function of such an asset is similar across the Commonwealth.
A county detective can conduct independent investigations at the direction of the district attorney, provide investigative assistance to other law enforcement agencies, investigate allegations made by citizens who wish to file a private criminal complaint, conduct background investigations for those seeking a private detective license, and, most importantly, assist the district attorney and assistant district attorneys with the preparation of cases for trial.
The reason that I say assisting the prosecutors is the most important reason for a county detective goes back to our discussion earlier this year about the ever-increasing caseload in the district attorney’s office.
With approximately 1,400 criminal cases a year handled by this office, it is vital to have a seasoned criminal investigator look at cases, evaluate the evidence, and work with law enforcement to make sure cases are ready for trial when the prosecutor picks up the file.
We are fortunate to have such an experienced former Pennsylvania State Trooper as the Chief County Detective here in Clearfield County, and his presence has already paid dividends to this office.
Ryan Sayers is the elected District Attorney of Clearfield County, Pennsylvania.
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