Criminal Investigation
Sheriff's Department - Criminal Investigations Division
The Sheriff's Office Criminal Investigations Division and Patrol Division have an interlocking working relationship with respect to crimes committed and reported.
With few exceptions, it is usually deputies assigned to our Patrol Division who initiate written reports of alleged crimes reported by alleged victims. These reports are forwarded to the Criminal Investigations Division where investigators assigned to predetermined zones within the county begin the process of determining, first, if the reported crimes actually occurred. Once the validity of a crime report is established, an investigation begins to identify the offender, recover any property stolen and develop a case that will result in the desired outcome: an arrest and conviction.
Reported Major Crimes 2019 - 2020
| CRIMES (by year) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Homicide | In 2019: 10 | In 2020: 4 |
| Robbery | In 2019: 37 | In 2020: 37 |
| Burglary | In 2019: 509 | In 2020: 446 |
| Theft of Property | In 2019: 1,149 | In 2020: 1,037 |
| Rape | In 2019: 32 | In 2020: 25 |
| 2022 Estimated Population | |
|---|---|
| Madison County | 404,151 |
| Huntsville City | 210,081 |
| Madison City | 55,551 |
Patrol deputies assist the Criminal Investigations Division through their ability to assess the situation and make an initial determination if what the citizen has reported was the case. They were able, through observation, to rule out what had been said as an alleged burglary. If a determination is made that a reported crime turned out to be in another category, the deputy writes a report documenting what the citizen reported. This is often a report to be filed for future information purposes. Of the 465 alleged burglaries reported, those where observation indicated to the deputy to have been possible or probable actual burglaries were distributed to criminal investigators assigned to designated zones within the county. Investigation of the alleged crimes resulted in many being solved, the offender(s) arrested, and a large amount of stolen property recovered.
As one might notice, most categories of Major Crime in Madison County have slightly decreased. Given the increase in the residential population of Madison County, excluding Huntsville and Madison, and the fact that the Sheriff's Office provides a primary Patrol and Investigations role for the small communities of Gurley, New Hope, Triana, and Owens Cross Road (each has small police department), the slight decrease in reported crimes is favorable news for the residents of the county and its employees.
The Sheriff's Office has made a concerted effort to focus on areas that have traditionally been in high-crime areas, and there has been a substantial increase on the part of the citizens of Madison County to get involved in partnering with us to hold crime down. What we had been seeing for several years, the "it's not my business," has done a turn-around with citizens getting involved by timely reporting suspicious activity or what was perceived as a crime in progress.
Within the Criminal Investigations Division, there are subsections. The Crime Scene Unit processes crime scenes to document conditions at the crime scene, collect evidence, and work with investigators toward building a case that leads to the recovery of property, the arrest of those responsible, and their conviction. The Crime Scene Unit also, in addition to cases being worked by Sheriff's Office investigators, assists surrounding law enforcement agencies with both crime scene investigation and specialized training of personnel.
The Narcotics & Vice Unit has a primary goal of taking illicit drugs (or drugs of abuse, both prescription and other) out of the hands of users and conducting investigations aimed at the conviction of persons trafficking in illicit drugs. The Narcotics & Vice Unit also works closely with federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies to fight the war against illegal drugs.
To Report a Crime Tip:
(256) 533-8820
Huntsville Area Crimestoppers:
(256) 532-7463
Madison County Sheriff's Office Non-Emergency:
(256) 722-7181
Captain Pete Hose
(256) 533-8855 Office
Lieutenant Tim Whisante
(256) 533-8834 Office
Sergeant Christine Trampas
(256) 533-8854 Office