Our cops: Crime-solving stars Sgt. Alan Phillips enters into evidence a wrench set at the Matthew Doughty trial in August (N-C file photo).. Creative problem solving and teamwork take the mystery out of many investigations for Brown County Sheriff's Department detectives By Jessica La Plante News-Chronicle Ever wonder about what it takes to be a detective? Rather than reading a mystery novel to experience the excitement of detective work, try talking with the real sleuths at the Brown County Sheriff's Department. The department's 14-officer unit was recently hailed as being among the finest crime solvers in the state, earning a meritorious service award from the Wisconsin Association of Homicide Investigators. As Lt. Jeff Sanborn will tell you, there's a lot more to solving a mystery than simply figuring out whodunit. Before any homicide investigation is complete, police "not only want to find out who did it, but how they did it and why," Sanborn said. The opening sequence of any real-life murder mystery starts out with a call to the crime scene. A detective's first job is to sweep the area for clues, pouring over every nook and cranny with an eye for detail. "One of the first things we do is call out an evidence technician who takes video and still photography," Sanborn said. "We treat everything as evidence." In the Douglas Tappa homicide, for example, detectives collected paneling, carpeting and furniture from the victim's house. Every inch of the crime scene was scrutinized. "We'll swab sinks to see if something was washed down," he said. "We always check for possible fingerprints that could be left on door knobs, stair railings and telephones." The comprehensive gathering of evidence is what ultimately led to the arrest of James Profit, a man convicted last year of raping and beating an Allouez woman. Investigators collected the torn tip of a rubber glove from the crime scene. When the DNA results came back, the profile matched with that of a registered sex offender formerly housed in the Wisconsin Prison System. "The (breakthrough) was momumental," Sanborn said. Sometimes, the first mystery detectives have to solve is whether they're truly dealing with a crime. The team investigates about 50 deaths per year, including suicides and suspicious accidents. While some circumstances of death are obvious, others are not so apparent. "We had one suicide five years ago where the guy went and shot himself and then put the gun away before he died," said Sgt. Thomas Phillips. At first, the combination of a fatal gunshot wound with a missing weapon looked suspicious, he said. Detectives found the gun tucked away in a desk drawer. The small-caliber weapon would have allowed the suicide victim to live for some time after inflicting the injury. After scouring the crime scene, the next phase of the investigation relies on creative thinking. In searching for leads and suspects, officers have to think multidimensionally. "We interview people the following day at the exact same time," Sanborn said. "For the Tappa homicide, we talked with bus drivers, neighbors, and interviewed people who were driving home from work who frequently traveled that route." More than visiting the scene, detectives have to journey into the minds and lives of both the homicide victim and suspect. "We will subpoena phone records from a victim's or suspect's residence and speak with everyone they talked to," Sanborn said. "We'll check with past spouses, girlfriends and anybody else who might give us information." Phone records are what finally led investigators to Matthew Doughty, the man arrested and convicted of murder in the Tappa homicide. Tracing each call back to its source, investigators discovered that one man who had communicated with Tappa had a long criminal history. By focusing their attention on that lead, investigators obtained enough supporting evidence to confront Doughty, who then confessed to murder. During the first week of any homicide investigation, the sheriff's department works at full capacity, utilizing all staff members, Sanborn said. Every morning, the group meets for a briefing to chart progress and goals. Then the detectives embark on daily assignments, chasing leads as far south as Milwaukee. "On the Tappa homicide, there was a connection to Milwaukee, so I sent a group of investigators there," Sanborn said. "At the same time I have evidence technicians working at the scene, investigators canvassing the local neighborhood and an investigator working with the medical examiner's office." As important as physical evidence obtained from the crime scene are the bits and pieces of information gleaned from witnesses. When interviewing any witness, no matter how benign-looking, police must always remember they could be talking to a suspect. "Often times, somebody close to the victim is responsible, and you really have to be careful when talking to friends and neighbors," Sanborn said. "We basically treat everybody as a suspect." Narrowing down the list of suspects is a time-consuming chore. Witness statements have to be cross-checked against physical evidence and known facts. Background checks need to be conducted on every person interviewed by police, including all the victim's friends and foes. "In something like the Tappa homicide, when we start getting possible leads, we'll do a criminal history on every person," Sanborn said. "If they have a huge criminal record, that's a red flag." The real turning point in any homicide investigation comes when police are ready to confront the suspect. "Our ultimate goal is to obtain enough evidence so we can confront the suspect, get a confession and pick apart his statement if he's trying to deceive us," Sanborn said. Even when a perpetrator is hauled off to jail, a detective's job isn't through. As the suspect is prosecuted, an investigator assigned to the district attorney's office proofs the detective work to make sure the state's case is airtight. "We have split seconds to make decisions, whereas defense attorneys have a year to look back and try to punch holes in the law," Sanborn said. To attain a high degree of precision, detectives use computers to test crime theories in a virtual environment. Beyond good sleuthing techniques and top-notch equipment, perhaps the greatest resource a detective department relies on is the dedication of its officers. Sanborn believes that's why his team won a statewide service award. This unit "is just a group of dedicated guys that want to do their work," Sanborn said. "Everybody is a piece of that team ... if someone isn't here when we do get a suspect, they're upset they're not part of the final outcome." FYI The Brown County Sheriff Department's investigative unit was honored with a Meritorious Service Award at an April 10 awards banquet hosted by the Wisconsin Association of Homicide Investigators. WAHI hailed Brown County's 14-officer unit for solving a large number of high-profile cases in 2002 with accuracy and efficiency. Among the cases were the Douglas Tappa homicide investigation, the James Profit sexual-assault case, the Tyson Kreuscher double-homicide investigation and a beating death in Ledgeview. Of those four cases WAHI board member Steve Daniels said, "All were solved, all went to trial, and there was a conviction in all of them."