A press conference was held today to announce a new collaboration between the Toledo Fire & Rescue Department and the Toledo Police Department.
Numerous changes have been put in place in an effort combat arson through combining the skills and expertise of both departments. The goal of this collaboration is to streamline the process from the fire ground investigation to the court process ending with a successful prosecution.
Some of the changes include: moving T.F.R.D. Fire Investigation Unit to the Investigative Services Unit located in the T.P.D. Safety Building, assigning two new fire investigators to the unit and a T.P.D. detective being trained in fire investigations on the police side. Many times in the past, investigations were carried out by one investigator, with these changes in place, investigators will now be able operate as a team increasing efficiency in the processing of cases.
With the T.F.R.D. Fire Investigation Unit sharing offices with T.P.D. Investigative Service Unit, our F.I.U. will have the T.P.D.’s crime solving resources at their disposal. Some of these resources include: daily police briefings, the access to criminal intelligence and the processing of evidence by the property room.
Arson is a crime that impacts many facets of our city, from fire and police response, the court system, insurance rates and our neighborhoods. If you have any information regarding an arson, you may contact our F.I.U. at https://www.toledofirerescue.com/contact/report-arson/ or Crime Stoppers at 419-255-1111.