The Ottawa Police Department Investigations Unit is divided into two divisions, the Detective Division and the Narcotics Division.
The Detective Division handles general criminal investigations that are usually too complex or lengthy to be handled by officers in the Patrol Division. It is one of the most respected Police Detective Divisions in LaSalle County. This is primarily due to the success rate of the division in solving the crimes forwarded to the division.
The Ottawa Police Detective Division averages a successful case closure rate of approximately 85%, with 66% of all cases investigated ending in arrests. These do not include the arrests resulting from the solving of other jurisdiction's cases which came about as a byproduct of investigating our own.
The Detective Division is comprised of one Sergeant, one Corporal and two Detectives. Three School Resource Officers also fall under the umbrella of the Detective Division.
The Narcotics Division is comprised two Officers who focus 100% of their duties on drug related crimes within the City of Ottawa. The division was originally formed with the help of a grant that paid for the wages of an officer who would work directly out of the Ottawa Police Department addressing drug crimes. This officer, at the time, was in addition to an officer already assigned to a State Police Drug Task Force serving a three-county area. In time, the decision was made to remove the officer from the task force assignment and have the two officers, working together, focus all of their time on Ottawa.
