Interesting Homicide Investigation Poll

Frank Girardot is running an interesting poll on the CrimeScene Blog, posing the question of whether or not small police agencies should handle their own homicide investigations. The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department will assist in local homicide investigations should an agency request their assistance. APD has fallen on both sides of the fence in prior cases. Such factors as complexity of the investigation, evidence, manpower, other resources are just some examples of what comes into play when making the decision whether or not to ask LASD for assistance. Pros and cons exist on both sides of the coin. Some agencies may have a policy of using LASD as their primary unit for homicides. Others do not and take each investigation on a case by case basis.