Court Liaison Unit (CLU)
As its name denotes, Court Liaison (CLU) handles communication with the courts to ensure witnesses and officers are notified of court appearances- over 1,650 per month.
The lieutenant for this unit also oversees the Financial Crimes Unit. In addition to the lieutenant, the Court Liaison Unit is comprised of one sergeant, two officers, and nine civilians.
All reports generated in the patrol division – more than 10,000 per month – are routed to Court Liaison where they are triaged and sent to the various units in the detective bureau for investigation. Every report routed to the Court Liaison Unit is read in detail to accurately determine the type of crime in order to assign it to the appropriate investigative unit. Many cases that do not require follow up are taken directly to the District Attorney’s Office for filing of charges.
The Court Liaison Unit is one of those less-than-glamorous assignments, but without the dedicated people assigned to this unit the detective bureau would grind to a halt. This unit requires an extraordinary work ethic to keep up with the enormous work load, and it requires attention to detail to ensure criminals are not released who belong in jail.
Examples of Violations Processed by the Court Liaison Unit:
- Driving Under the Influence
- All Narcotics related cases (Possession/Influence/Sales)
- Petty Theft
- Public Intoxication
- Trespassing (602PC)
- Possession of Illegal Weapons
The Court Liaison Unit also destroys contraband and releases property on adjudicated cases pursuant to court orders.