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Investigative Services Division 
956-216-5400  Ext. 5419

The Investigative Services Division is commanded and directed by Captain Ramon Vela, Jr. who maintains administrative duties for the sections and units. The Division includes several functions in addition to the follow-up investigations of crimes. 

Captain Vela can be reached at 956-216-5400  Ext. 5422 or by email: rvela@harlingenpolice.com

The goal of the Investigative Services Division is "to solve assigned offenses, the arrest and prosecution of persons charged, and the reduction of crime." Criminal offenses which require follow-ups are assigned to Investigators. A substantial amount of these cases are cleared by various means, such as arrest, filing with the District Attorney's Office, and by exceptional means. Investigators work all types of crimes from misdemeanors to capital felonies. Other duties include jail/prisoner processing, crime scene processing, case preparation, and responding to major incidents.

       


The criteria and solvability factors which determine whether a case may be assigned for follow-up investigation include but are not limited to:

w Nature of Crime 
w Suspect Information 
w Property identification 
w Witness information 
w Presence of physical evidence

      


Crimes Against Persons 

The Crimes Against Persons Section investigates violence against individuals, including murder, aggravated assaults, assaults, sexual assaults, robbery, harassment, gang-related offenses, weapon charges, and indecent exposure. There are four investigators assigned to this section. A fifth investigator investigates sex crimes, child abuse cases, missing persons, runaways, and works closely with local child advocacy centers.


Crimes Against Property 

The Crimes Against Property Section investigates crimes involving property, including burglary, auto theft, theft, criminal mischief, and forgery. This section also monitors pawn shop transactions. Five investigators are assigned to this section. A sixth investigator investigates auto thefts and is the Crime Stoppers Coordinator. To download a copy of the Burglary Information Pamphlet, click here.



Special Investigations Unit 

Sergeant Miguel Garcia oversees the Special Investigations Unit. This unit consists of three investigators and four K-9 officers, one who is assigned to the DEA. This unit has the responsibility of investigating offenses in violation of state and federal laws. Duties include intelligence gathering, street interdiction, undercover operations, and asset forfeiture and seizure. Sergeant Garcia can be reached at 956-216-5484



Evidence/Property Control Crime Scene Unit 

Detectives Rhonda Mitchell is assigned to Evidence/Property Control and are responsible for handling and the custody of property and evidence that may come into the possession of the Harlingen Police Department. This includes processing evidence for latent prints. As the Crime Scene Unit, the primary responsibility is to process crime scenes for evidence. This includes, but not limited to, the identification, collection, and preservation of crime scene evidence.



Sexual Offender Registration 

Detective Charles Feschner handles the registration of sexual offenders. Additional information on Texas' Registered Sex offender population can be found on the DPS website, http://records.txdps.state.tx.us For additional information on accessing the secure website, contact the DPS Crime Records Service, CJIS, at 512-424-2478.



Crime Stoppers 

The Crime Stoppers Program is designed to obtain information from those sources that have knowledge about area crimes. Crime Stoppers offers individuals anonymity and a financial reward for the information they provide. Crime Stoppers also solves crimes in our public school system through Campus Crime Stoppers. The Harlingen Area Crime Stoppers phone number is 
956-425-TIPS.


Crime Victims Compensation 

Crime Victims Compensation is a financial assistance program that helps eligible victims of crime with certain expenses related to the crime. Money for this program comes from court costs paid by criminals and deposited by each Texas county into the Crime Victims' Compensation Fund. Loraine Campos is the department's Crime Victim's Coordinator. She can be reached at
956-216-5421 or by email: lcampos@harlingenpolice.com

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