CIVILIAN DEPARTMENT

Investigations Overview & How To

Last Revision:

05/24/2026

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Table of Contents

1. Civilian Expectations When Creating Investigations
2. Section 1 | Firearms & Ballistics

Gun Classifications

Ghost Guns

Altered Guns

Serial Number Locations

Casings & Bullets

Chemical Restoration

Gunshot Residue

1. Section 2 | Surveillance & Cameras

ALPR Cameras

CCTV Cameras

Body Cameras

Dash Cameras

1. Section 3 | Tracking & Evidence Collection

Blood Trails

Scent Tracking

Footprints

1. Section 4 | Crime Scene Investigations

Fingerprints

Glove Fibers

DNA Traces

Chemical Residue

Luminol & Bleach

Scene Script Usage

1. Section 5 | Phone Investigations

Phone Tracking

Phone Jamming

Phone Tapping

1. Section 6 | Drug & Financial Investigations

Drug Identification

Dye Packs

Money Tracking

1. Section 7 | Fire Investigations
2. Section 8 | Medical Investigations

Stages of Death

Decomposition

Skeletonization

1. Section 9 | Vehicle Crime Investigations
2. Section 10 | Dark Web Usage
3. Change Log

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Civilian Expectations When Creating Investigations

All civilians participating in investigative roleplay are expected to follow these guidelines:

Always aim to finish your investigations and avoid allowing investigations to go cold.

Be realistic with evidence. A "perfect crime" should be rare.

Respond promptly to any requests made through RP Crime Lab channels.

Plan criminal activities in-character whenever possible.

Do not roleplay solely to win.

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Section 1 | Firearms & Ballistics

Gun Classifications

Two primary firearm classifications are recognized:

Ghost Guns

A ghost gun is a self-manufactured firearm lacking registration and serial numbers, making tracing difficult.

Types include:

3D Printed Firearms

Illegally Manufactured Firearms

#### 3D Printed Firearms

The most common type of ghost gun. Individuals with access to a sufficiently sized 3D printer can manufacture many handgun components.

#### Illegally Manufactured Firearms

Typically produced by larger criminal organizations due to the resources required.

Altered Guns

An altered firearm is a legally manufactured firearm whose serial number has been intentionally damaged or removed through filing, grinding, or chemical destruction.

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Serial Number Locations

Serial numbers can typically be found:

Lower receiver or stock of rifles.

Lower frame of pistols.

Upper receiver or slide interior.

If a serial number has been damaged, investigators should note the severity and refer to Chemical Restoration procedures.

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Casings & Bullets

Spent shell casings may be examined for:

Fingerprints

Tool marks

Weapon matching

Comparison microscopes are commonly used to compare firing pin and ejector marks.

Serial numbers may be absent if:

The casing or firearm was altered.

The firearm was manufactured without serialization.

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Chemical Restoration

Chemical restoration allows investigators to recover obliterated serial numbers by removing small amounts of metal.

This process works because the original stamping process permanently alters the metal beneath the visible surface.

Applicable to:

Firearms

Shell Casings

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Gunshot Residue (GSR)

Gunshot residue consists of:

Burnt primer particles

Unburnt primer particles

Gunpowder residue

Vaporized lead

Metal fragments

Key Guidelines

GSR may be recovered from hands and nearby surfaces.

Effective range is typically 3–5 feet from the firearm muzzle.

GSR generally remains on living hands for 4–6 hours.

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Section 2 | Surveillance & Cameras

ALPR Cameras

Automatic License Plate Reader cameras:

Automatically capture license plates.

Flag blank plates.

Cannot miss a plate due to distance alone.

Only fail if obstructed, covered, or sabotaged.

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Real Estate CCTV Cameras

When determining CCTV coverage:

Refer to the Real Estate Roster.

If not listed, determine realistically whether cameras would exist.

Some footage may not be accessible to law enforcement.

CCTV Limitations

Most cameras only capture:

Hair color

Skin tone

Visible tattoos

Gender

Clothing descriptions

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Body Cameras

Body cameras capture:

Officer's forward-facing view

Audio beginning 30 seconds after activation

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Dash Cameras

Dash camera systems include:

Front camera

Rear camera

Prisoner compartment camera

Vehicle audio recording

Audio recording begins when:

Activated by an officer

Emergency lights are enabled

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Section 3 | Tracking & Evidence Collection

Blood Trails

Blood trails may be tracked:

Visually

Through K9 units

Tracking continues until medical treatment prevents further blood loss.

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Scent Tracking

K9 units may track:

People

Narcotics

Explosives

Tracking Capabilities

Across rivers

Through rain

Through sewer systems

Over walls and through doors

Scent Lifespans

Low traffic areas:

5–14 days

High traffic areas:

Several hours

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Footprints

Footprints can assist investigators in determining:

Identity

Height

Weight

Movement direction

Shoe tread patterns may also connect multiple crime scenes to the same suspect.

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Section 4 | Crime Scene Investigations

Fingerprints

Types of fingerprints include:

Plastic Prints

Found in soft materials.

Patent Prints

Visible prints left by substances such as blood, paint, or dirt.

Latent Prints

Invisible prints requiring enhancement techniques.

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Glove Fibers & Glove Prints

Common glove types:

Latex

Nitrile

Vinyl

Leather

Fabric

Many gloves leave unique impressions that can be compared against seized evidence.

DNA may also transfer through glove interiors.

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DNA Traces

DNA evidence may include:

Hair

Blood

Saliva

Skin Cells

DNA alone may not identify a suspect unless records already exist.

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Chemical Residue

Crime scenes should never be unrealistically clean.

If a scene has been cleaned, specify:

Cleaning products used

Remaining residue

Additional evidence located

Bleach

Bleach is detectable through forensic testing.

Luminol

Luminol can reveal blood diluted up to 10,000 times by causing blue fluorescence.

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Scene Script Usage

Scenes may be used to provide investigative clues without OOC communication.

Maximum active scenes:

20 per player

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Section 5 | Phone Investigations

Tracking Phone Numbers

Phones can be tracked while powered on.

If exact location is unavailable:

Nearest cell tower ping is provided.

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Turning Phones Off

Powered-off phones provide only their last known location.

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Phone Jamming

Typical ranges:

Handheld jammer: 20–30 feet

Vehicle-mounted jammer: up to 1 mile

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Phone Tapping

Phone taps require:

Judicial authorization

Prosecutorial request

Valid criminal investigation

Maximum authorization:

30 days per warrant

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Section 6 | Drug & Financial Investigations

Drug Identification

Field test kits can identify:

Methamphetamine

Ecstasy

Barbiturates

Cannabis

Cocaine

Heroin

Morphine

Laboratory testing determines specific chemical composition.

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Dye Packs

Large bank thefts may include dye packs designed to mark:

Currency

Suspects

Containers

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Money Tracking

Currency may be tracked through recorded serial numbers maintained by financial institutions.

Money laundering attempts to conceal this trail.

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Section 7 | Fire Investigations

Fire investigations focus on determining:

Origin

Cause

Accelerants

Indicators of arson

Common indicators include:

Forced entry

Disabled alarms

Broken windows

Accelerant evidence

Electrical faults remain one of the most common accidental fire causes.

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Section 8 | Medical Investigations

Stages of Death

Pallor Mortis

15–25 minutes after death.

Livor Mortis

20 minutes–12 hours after death.

Algor Mortis

Body temperature equalization.

Rigor Mortis

Typically begins within 4 hours.

Putrefaction

Body decomposition and tissue breakdown.

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Decomposition

Factors affecting decomposition:

Temperature

Humidity

Oxygen

Burial depth

Animal activity

Cause of death

General guideline:

Twice as slow in water.

Eight times slower when buried.

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Skeletonization

Final stage of decomposition where only skeletal remains remain.

Timeframe:

Several weeks to several years.

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Section 9 | Vehicle Crime Investigations

Vehicle Theft Considerations

Investigators should consider:

Theft Location

Residential area

Parking structure

Alleyway

Public roadway

Method of Theft

Keys used

Immobilizer bypassed

Alarm triggered

Time Spent Inside Vehicle

Longer occupancy increases chances of:

DNA transfer

Fingerprints

Blood evidence

Hair evidence

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Section 10 | Dark Web Usage

The Dark Web may be used for:

Criminal communications

Illegal transactions

Organization coordination

Law Enforcement may access Dark Web communications only under approved investigative circumstances.

Private Dark Web chats may be established through the in-game phone system.

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Change Log

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Last Updated:

05/24/2026