| The Cass County Sheriff's Office Enforcement Division is made up of officers whose duties include responding to emergency calls for service, investigating crimes, patrolling county roadways, enforcing traffic laws and working with various township groups and schools in promoting crime prevention.
The two main sections within the division are the patrol section and the investigative section.
Patrol Section:
The Patrol section is responsible for maintaining peace and order within the entire county. This includes over 500 square miles of roadway and over 13 townships. The Patrol section is available to respond to calls for service to the citizens of Cass County 24 hours a day / 365 days a year.
Each officer assigned to the Patrol section receives at least 24 hours a year in continuous in-service training and most of the officers receive much more as they participate in various specialty courses.
Patrol has a variety of tools at their disposal in order to assist them in this task. The Sheriff's Office Patrol cars are equipped with many life saving and investigative tools including In-car Digital Video Cameras, Patrol Rifles and Portable Defibulators. Officers also have 4 wheeled drive vehicles, snowmobiles and ATV's that are available for patrol during inclement weather.
Investigative Section:
The investigative section is responsible for investigating reported crimes and identifying, locating and apprehending the suspects to these crimes.
Felony crimes such as Burglary, Robbery, and Criminal Sexual Conduct cases are investigated by felony investigation detectives.
Narcotics cases are handled by the Cass County Drug Enforcement Team. This team is a county wide millage funded task force that is managed by the Sheriff's Office and is operated in conjunction with the Dowagiac Police Department.
Major Crimes such as homicides and Bank Robberies are investigated by the Cass County Major Crimes Task Force. The task force is made up of investigators from each law enforcement agency in the county and is also managed by the Sheriff's Office.
The Cass County Crime Tip-line is manned by the investigative section and is available at 1-800-462-9328 for citizens to report crime or suspected crime occuring within the county.
Enforcement Division Specialty Teams:
Community Policing/Crime Prevention:
The Sheriff has formed partnerships with various township and civic groups such as the Cass County Council on Aging in order to further crime prevention tactics throughout the county.
School Resource Officer:
A partnership with the Cassopolis Public Schools also provides for a deputy that assists in providing security and performs the role of a liaison between the largest school district in the county and the Sheriff's Office.
Cass County Warrant Service Team:
The Warrant Service team is made up of specially trained officers from both the Cass County Sheriff's Office and the Dowagiac Police Department. This team is trained and equipped to serve high-risk search and arrest warrants.
Crash Investigation Team:
This is a team of specially trained deputies that are trained to investigate fatal traffic crashes within the county.
Honor Guard:
This is a specialized drill team that has the honor to perform at officers funerals and other memorials.
K-9:
Deputy Tim Gondeck and GiGi, a police trained German Shepard, serve as the Sheriff's K-9 team. They perform searches for narcotics and contraband as well as track lost hunters and children.
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