Vigo County Sheriff's Office
Policy Manual
Bias Crimes
(e)
Depending on the situation, the assigned deputies or supervisor may request assistance from investigators or other resources.
(f)
The assigned deputies should interview available witnesses, victims and others to determine what circumstances, if any, indicate that the situation may involve a bias crime.
(g)
The assigned deputies should make reasonable efforts to assist the victim by providing available information on local assistance programs and organizations as required by the Victim and Witness Assistance Policy.
(h)
The assigned deputies should include all available evidence indicating the likelihood of a bias crime in the relevant reports. All related reports should be clearly marked “bias Crime” to enable identification for federal hate crime reporting.
(i)
The assigned deputies and supervisor should take reasonable steps to ensure that any such situation does not escalate further and should provide information to the victim regarding legal aid (e.g., a Petition for a Temporary Protective Order) through the courts or County Attorney.
320.4.1 CRIMINAL INVESTIGATIONS RESPONSIBILITIES
If a bias crime case is assigned to the Criminal Investigations, the assigned investigator will be responsible for:
(a)
Coordinating further investigation with the County Attorney and other appropriate law enforcement agencies.
(b)
Maintaining contact with the victim and other involved individuals, as needed.
(c)
Maintaining statistical data and tracking of suspected bias crimes, as indicated or required by state law.
320.5 TRAINING
All members of this Sheriff's office should receive training on bias crime recognition and investigation.