Expert: Jack Toomey - 11/25/2005

Question
Mr. Toomey,

I'm writing a novel that takes place in a steel mining town in
rural Illinois. The town is very small with approx 400 residents.

The set-up: A man arrives home to find his wife murdered and
16-year old daughter missing. He has evidence of the abduction
on voice mail accessible by cell phone, but there is no ransom
note. I have four brief questions:

1. What law enforcement dept would have jurisdiction in a small mining
town? Local sheriff?
2. Since there is murder and abduction, what types of officers would
respond?
3. Would the officers wait for a call if there is no ransom note? If
so, where would they set up the command center?
4. Would the FBI be called? If so, when?

Thank you for your time.

Answer
Hello Marc,

    I help authors all the time so this is not a problem.

1.  there is a problem here.  I can't tell you who has juristiction in any particular town or city unless I know for a fact or have been there.  The United States has litterly thousands of police departments from New York City with over thirty thousand members to a small town in Illinois that might have two officers.  So it could be a county sheriffs department (usually on the east coast it is called the police and in the south it they are called the Sheriffs department, a police department, or even the state police depending on what agreement that the town has with the state.

2.  first uniformed officers would answer the origninal call and then detectives would be called in.  Now again you have a problem because you don't know who is handling the case.  you probably would be safe by saying that the small town is covered by a county police department and that they would be the ones handling the case.  the town might have a small department of a few officers if it is an incorporated city but they would never be handling a murder.

3.  a command center could be set up anywhere.  I don't see the need for a huge bus being parked out in front of the house or anywhere else becuase it would just attract attention.  The command center (if you need to have one) could easily be at police headquarters in the office where the case is being handled.  Too many command centers on tv and the movies and the public expects a command center everytime there is a serious crime.

4. the FBI would not have juristiction unless there is proof that the victim was taken over a state line or if it was a kidnapping for ransom.  from what you have told me there is no violation of federal law but I wouldn't be surprised to see the FBI there since the girl is missing.

   Let me know if you have any other questions or questions about what I have said.