Skrem 7

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SECURITY STAFF

Detective

Alternative Titles: Investigator, Forensic Analyst, Investigative Cadet, Private Eye, Inspector Access: Brig, Detective's Office, Morgue, Maintenance, Weapon Permit Additional Access: Security Difficulty: Medium Supervisors: Head of Security Duties: Investigate crimes, gather evidence, look badass, smoke cigarettes Guides: Guide to security, Space Law, Guide to Trials, Standard Operating Procedure Quote: Uh, I just sssaw the chef gib the clown. You folksss gonna do anythin' about that? Or thisss the kinda day where what I sssay don't matter?

Your Office, and your Castle

Welcome to the land of red tape, friend.

Your job as the Detective is to discover crimes, identify their perpetrators, and report it all to the rest of Security. Use your radio, and use it often.

You are not a full member of Security and should not be making arrests under most circumstances. Your revolver is considered a lethal weapon, to be used sparingly.

Review Space Law and make sure you know how and when you should act.

Bare minimum requirements: Don't die in maintenance, scan crime scenes, and report your findings to Security.

"Bona Fide" Officer

As a Detective, your primary duty is to investigate crime scenes and use the tools provided to you to identify the perpetrators. A Forensic Scanner, security console, and your ID should be all you need to snag most suspects.

Your Forensic Scanner is located in your backpack, and the closet in your office has a spare. Go to a crime scene when you're called and start scanning anything of importance. If you're the one that finds a crime scene, inform Security before you begin your investigation. Airlocks, bodies, weapons, blood, and possessions are all things that are prime targets for scanning. Your Forensic Scanner can store more logs than you'll ever need, and, if needed, you can also recall past scans or even print off a forensic report to review information you've gathered. Especially important is scanning any bodies for prints and fibers, provided that they haven't been hauled off by the Paramedics yet. Airlocks are also incredibly useful to scan, assuming the crime happened in an area that most wouldn't be moving through. At the very least, you can get a list of people who have been around, and question them individually on your own time. If the crime is severe enough, ask your fellow, loyal officers for help in bringing suspects in.

If any victims (or suspects) have already been hauled off to Medical, then you'll want to get over there ASAP and scan any bodies before any more greasy doctors touch them. Try to get any information you can from the Medical staff or officers present: damage types, who brought them in, who's touched the corpse. The more information you get, the more you can ignore irrelevant facts or focus on curious ones.

Guard bodies if you have to. One of the best witnesses to a crime is the victim themselves. If they're revived via non-cloning methods, they retain their memories, which include how they died. And, most likely, who killed them.

Scene Analysis 101

Any object that is touched by someone without gloves will have their fingerprints on it (with the exception of fingerless gloves). This includes interaction, pick-up, drop, and manipulation of any kind. There is a chance for someone to leave behind traces of their clothing under the same interactions. The options can be their uniform, their exosuit, and/or their gloves.

Keep your forensics gloves on all the time, so you don't confuse your own traces with others.

• Your home is in the crime scene. Make sure any Heads of Staff or other officers present touch as little as possible and steer clear while you work. This is especially problematic if they touch vital evidence, as you won't be able to confirm certain traces if a black-gloved officer or an insulated-gloved Chief Engineer goes and touches the bloody toolbox present in the scene.
• Beyond using your Forensic Scanner on pretty much every upturned bush in sight, it's important to look around and take notes of out-of-place things, as well as searching around in general.
• If there are bullet casings, but no gun, you can assume it's been hidden, or far more likely, on the suspect. Examining bullet casings will also tell you the caliber. 10mm rounds are most commonly fired by a Syndicate Stetchkin, though it could also be a Surplus Rifle brought in by a Gang. You shouldn't assume the round type based off this information, but it can be a stepping stone for the kind of culprit you might be looking for.
• Search plants, boxes, containers, see if anything is out of place or something was left behind. Carry a T-Ray Scanner and a crowbar on you, and check under the floor for Smuggler Satchels: bags that can be hidden underneath floors. Leave nothing uncounted for and no stone unturned.
• Clever criminals might store their incriminating items in a Secure Briefcase. You can use a Multitool to brute force these open, bypassing the need for learning the code to access the contents within.
• You can take blood from a body using a syringe and scan the syringe to get the DNA string of who it belongs to.
• Any reagents in any item can be discovered by a scan, including food.
• A medical analyzer (your PDA comes with a built-in one) can be used to ascertain a time-of-death on a cadaver, assuming they haven't been dead longer than 15 minutes.
• Use the evidence bags you spawn with to collect any suspicious items you find, be it "contraband", contraband, high-risk items, anything with blood on it, or anything that doesn't belong in the department. Take any bagged evidence you have to the Evidence Lockup, in the Brig, to the Warden (if it's restricted), or return said high-risk items to their owners.

Once you're done investigating a crime scene, return to either your office or the nearest Security Post (you have access to every departmental post, assuming you can enter said department to access it. This does not include the Arrivals Checkpoint). All of these will have a Security Records console, while your own office will also have a Medical Records console. In a pinch, you can also use a computer in Medical to access Medical Records.

Make sure any bodies make it to either Medical or the Brig Physician. The latter can help keep a body safe during revival or perform an autopsy/inspection. They also begin the round mindshielded, meaning they're almost certainly allied with you, even if they're unfriendly. Do note, however, that they don't have a full Medbay at their disposal.

Running the Numbers

You have both access to Security Records and Medical Records. Security Records allow you to run prints, as well search up and modify crime-related details of anyone on the crew manifest (if their security records haven't been deleted). Medical Records allow you to run DNA from blood, as well as search up and modify medical-related details of anyone on the crew manifest (mostly useless).

Inserting someone's fingerprint code into a Security Records console will narrow down the named list of individuals to whoever the prints belong to. If you can't narrow down the owner of a certain set of prints, this generally means one of two things:

1. The prints belong to someone present not on the manifest (some options include humanized monkeys, stowaways, fanatics, or really, really bad news).
2. More likely, they belong to someone who deleted their own security records (likely a Syndicate agent, or something far less friendly).

The same options hold true if you can't find the owner of a DNA string using a Medical Records console, save that (essentially) nobody deletes their own Medical Records. In almost every case, an unidentifiable string of DNA belongs to a humanized monkey from Genetics, or a monkey itself.

If you find one pair of prints on a damning detail and no glove fibers, you've most likely got a catch. Set the individual to Arrest, update their security record, and inform Security over your radio. Even if you only have suspicion, or you can't arrest someone based on forensic evidence, still inform Security and append the Notes section to indicate what you've discovered. If you set any individuals to Search, follow the same process. Remember who your boss is, and defer to them if they don't agree with the direction your investigation is heading.

Generally, uniform fibers can be used to do station-wide searches if the shift is slow enough, but you shouldn't base a sentencing off something so trivial. It's easy for any criminal who wants to throw you off to put on a disguise before they commit their nefarious deeds. Sentencing the single Assistant on board for theft based on grey jumpsuit fibers makes little sense when the uniform is freely accessible in the Locker Room. On the contrary, any traces generally limited to one or two jobs, such as an Engineering Hardsuit, should immediately be reported to Security as soon as you find them, before you even make it to a console.

Blood DNA can be used to identify victims if no body was recovered OR if the body is unidentifiable. In most cases, the latter is because the body is husked, which is either caused by excessive burn or a Changeling.

Regardless of your findings, whenever you're done with a Security Records console, always log off before you resume other activities. Failure to do so means someone can sneak in and wreak havoc, such as setting Heads of Staff to Arrest to be targeted by secbots or less-intelligent officers.

Interrogations and Incarcerations

While your fellow officers should (theoretically) know Space Law, it never hurts to be present during a suspect's brigging to clarify any information or wrongdoings about them. Furthermore, clarifying the crimes they're guilty of can make the process a lot quicker, as well as avoiding wildly inaccurate sentences, which are bound to get the station and/or any administrators online down your throat with punishment for your foolish transgressions.

You cannot brig individuals, as you do not possess the access to do so, nor is it outlined in your responsibilities.

You do, however, have access to the Interrogation Room, which has a Universal Recorder present, as well as all the gloomy lighting that you would want for a proper interrogation. That being said, interrogations are time-consuming, and, for the sake of gameplay, should generally be performed only under a handful of circumstances:

• You're certain someone is a culprit of something severe, but you don't have any hard evidence on them.
• You need to clarify the stories of two separate suspects, using the room to isolate them and get each of their tales individually.
• A lawyer wishes to speak with their client, or a lawyer wishes to speak with you privately, or with their client, too.
  • If you're the paranoid type, be cautious of a lawyer and their client who try to get you alone in the interrogation room; it's possible they're plotting to kill you and break out. As with all situations, calling for backup is a safe decision.
• Rarely, a culprit or Syndicate Agent may be willing to strike a deal. It is highly recommended that you obtain assistance from the Head of Security for this, as altering punishment or sentencing corporate enemies is beyond your jurisdiction.

Other situations may apply, but the main thing to keep in mind is that every minute spent in Interrogation is one where everyone present isn't experiencing or participating in the rest of the game. The roleplay involved can be fun for everyone involved, but only if everyone agrees to it. A good rule of thumb is that RP, in all its forms, is a consensual, agreed decision. Don't force people into interrogation beyond their sentence length if there's not sufficient justification to hold them longer.

Good things to note are alibis, actions, who they saw, what they were thinking, what they plan to do, etc. Any information you can get on them that's either head-scratching or glaringly contradictory with another's testimony can be a book-shutting detail.

Most people feel a lot safer answering questions when they're in their natural environment. Rather than arrest someone and drag them all the way to security, just knock on their window and ask them the questions you mean to do. This way, you also save everyone's time, are more likely to get meaningful information, and will overall be more-liked by the station. As Security, but especially as Detective, your reputation dictates a lot regarding your effectiveness. It's much better to be well-liked as an investigator, rather than feared, as you can use your silver tongue to earn benign cooperation far more efficiently than an officer who's prone to batoning people without second thoughts.

There's a camera console outside Interrogation which only looks into the room. It's a good way to spy in to make sure nothing funny is happening, and fellow officers can do this for you, too.

Grit-Fueled Investigating

The above sections represent the basics of your craft, but there are several other situations and methods for discovering and catching culprits, as well as protecting the people you're charged to defend.

The Digital Eye

"Every shift, I take a walk through the station, all from my office."

The camera console is one of the most potent tools you have for your duties. Located in your office, it allows you to watch every camera feed present on the station's SS13 network. This includes wall-mounted cameras, cyborg cameras, and where an AI is present. There are some properties to be noted about cameras:

• You can examine individuals through cameras by using SHIFT+CLICK, as if you were examining them in person.
• Cut cameras will still appear on the camera list, but only show static. This can allow you to narrow down where suspicious activity might be happening.
• You cannot hear through cameras.
• If a cyborg does not show up on the camera console, its camera lens were disabled by a Roboticist (or someone with similar access, including an EMAG) or, far more rarely, it might be a disguised Syndicate cyborg, used only by elite Syndicate assault teams.
• A bluespace EMAG, which has a 10% chance of being created when an EMAG is used on an EMAG, can be used through cameras using a camera console. This allows crafty Syndicate agents to sabotage whatever they please at infinite range, so long as they have access to the SS13 camera network.

Using a camera console allows you to spy others without their knowing of your presence. In addition, it's far safer than direct observation, and you're able to peer into areas you wouldn't be able to enter with your limited access. As your equipment is less robust than a normal officer's, patrolling maintenance alone is far less ideal than sitting in the safety of your office and flicking through cameras.

The Stake Out

"Hope you like waiting around. I brought myself a nice sandwich."

More fruitless than the likewise, simply hanging around an area or hiding in a locker/plant can yield results, especially if nobody expects you to be where you are. If an individual reports repeated harassment, but there's no evidence, or it's suspected/known that a certain crew member might be targeted by nefarious elements, simply being in the vicinity can scare off threats. If you're hidden, it's far more likely that you catch anyone in a criminal act, and can duly intervene if the circumstances demand it. Otherwise, note the name and crime, and report it to Security.

If you're simply walking about the station and you notice someone coming out of an area they shouldn't be in, or an area that's rarely entered, that's a point of oddness that you can investigate. A chemist coming out of maintenance could just be someone acting oddly for no reason, or it could be a cultist that just left their base. As with a majority of your investigating, context is important. If you suspect there's criminal or dangerous activity going on in some area, it's highly recommended you call for backup before you investigate, or, at the very least, pass on your hunch to Security. Getting jumped by a bunch of Nar'sie's finest doesn't help anyone except them, especially if your fellow officers have nothing to go on regarding your disappearance.

The Logical Savant

"Think! THINK! Why doesn't he have the magboots on him?"

Inevitably, much of your aptitude as a Detective boils down to game sense.

The Court Clerk

"Your Honor, the testimony... contradicts the evidence!"

A court proceeding is one of the rarest occurrences on the station. Most of the relevant information can be found in the Guide to trials, also linked in the overview of this page. That being said, there are some specific measures you can take as a Detective to bring more buck to a trial.

Firstly, you have prime access to the main method of obtaining hard, physical evidence.

Hard-Boiled Equipment

As one of Nanotrasen's beat cops, you're equipped with gadgets and tools to separate you from the average crew member in regards to combat effectiveness. However, the budget for your equipment is far lower, as you're not a full officer. While you still have access to wide range of tools, there are some that stand out.

The .38 Revolver

Usage of the revolver is covered in Space Law. It should not be drawn, much less fired, unless circumstances demand it.

Your revolver begins the round located in a Shoulder Holster, located in your locker. The holster is a three-slot belt item that can carry revolvers and speed loaders. SHIFT+E will pull out the item in the right-most slot, so putting your gun in it can help for a quickdraw.

Each vanilla shot of .38 does 15 brute damage and 35 stamina damage. It is very easy to spam-fire and can be reloaded quickly using the speed loaders. The revolver does not need to be empty to use a speed loader; it will fill as much of the revolver's capacity as it can. In addition, speed loaders can be used on each other to transfer bullets. You can print additional .38 speed loaders at the protolathes located in the Security Office and in the Armory. Autolathes can also print them, and they have the added benefit of being able to recycle them. An empty speed loader can be recycled for the full cost of a filled one. Note that unlike disablers, the .38 is a ballistic weapon, meaning its projectiles can't go through glass and will be blocked by shields.

As the revolver is considered lethal, it will upset any AIs that are anti-harm should you use it. And while the disabler is one of the most powerful weapons on the station, the .38 has some advantages over it:

• It can be quickly reloaded in the field.
• It has the capacity to damage simplemobs and cyborgs.
• It can cause bleeding, which, if not tended to, can incapacitate, kill, or otherwise inconvenience a suspect.
• It often sounds scarier than it is.
• It has access to a variety of alternative ammo types that grant it more utility.

• Cigarettes and Zippo lighter - absolutely necessary, smoking is cool.
• A worn suit, coat and hat. Not only do these make you look cool, but they act as armor.
• A White Crayon that you can use to draw an outline around a corpse
• Black gloves - as stated above, NEVER take these off if you are planning on being an actual detective and doing your damn job, or you will get your own prints on the evidence and fuck up the entire investigation.
• A security radio headset , this gives you access to the security channel so you can tell the officers to arrest insert-criminal-name-here.
• Your forensics scanner, found in your backpack. Use this to scan for fingerprints and trace fibers.
• A PDA loaded with a D.E.T.E.C.T cart. This little thing gives you access to both security and medical records, and has a built in Med scanner.
• Your .38 revolver , which comes complete with the ability to reskin, rename, and even modify it to fire incredibly lethal .357 rounds
• A universal recorder, for documenting interviews with suspects, witnesses, and more
• A hand labeller. In theory this is for labeling evidence, but it's just as entertaining
• A camera. This is supposed to be for taking pictures of evidence and suspects, but most of the time it is for taking pictures of The Owl or celebrity regulars.
• A pair of handcuffs for incapacitating a crook after you run out of bullets retaliate in self defense using your gun.
• The Security Holotape Projector can be used to cordon off crime scenes, making it easier to prevent your evidence from being contaminated.

If you're looking for more equipment, the Warden or Head of Security can issue you more standard security equipment. This may come with elevated responsibilities.

Tips

• Frequent usage of your radio is paramount as a member of Security, and, by extension, a Detective. Informing your fellow officers of your movements, discoveries, and intentions allow for the coordination and cooperation you need to succeed and survive.
  • Obtaining a general, handheld radio is very helpful if Telecommunications has an outage, as you don't have access to a Security Transceiver, unless you ask for one. If you do obtain a Transceiver, be sure to leave it off on default so the Security radio channel isn't leaked to anyone you pass by.
• If you decide to patrol in maintenance, it's preferred that you get another officer to come with you. Not only is there significantly more safety in numbers, but they possess the equipment and the authorization to make arrests or deal with suspects far more effectively.
• Unfortunately, sometimes other officers will print off their own Forensic Scanners and do your job for you, or otherwise ignore what you say. It's preferred to solve these oversteps in-character, and it's important to insist on the little authority you have, as well as the value that your investigating can provide.
  • If a normal officer is grossly overshadowing the responsibilities of their role when you aren't, it's advised to contact any administrators that might be online if the situation can't be resolved in-character. If you're present and alive, there's no reason they should be overstepping their boundaries so long as you're not overstepping yours.
• When in doubt about the nature of something, especially when it comes to disguising as a non-Security crew, uncertainty about Space Law, or your own role as a Detective, contacting administrators is a safe option.
• If you want to check if a husk was drained or burned, try extracting blood from it with a syringe. A Changeling victim won't have any blood.
  • Using circumstantial evidence is usually more than enough to determine this. Inspecting the body will also report any existing Brute or Burn on it.
• Rather than checking an unknown victim's blood, you can often determine it simply by what might be around the body, if their ID was left behind or any stripped items.
• As a member of Security, you love donuts. This means that you can bypass species preferences if you're hungry with the donuts in the Security Office, or on the Kitchen counter.
• A lone radio headset near a body or in a crime scene will probably have the fingerprints of your victim, as well as any traces left by the murderer who stripped it from them.
• If someone's broken into the Arrivals Checkpoint or
• You can use Meson Goggles to find false walls; they show as open spaces when not in direct sight of them, so long as Mesons are equipped. Furthermore, if you get some cable coil and tools, you can craft Meson HUDglasses, which will combine the benefits of the two eyewears.
• The Forensic Scanner can be used at range, to scan containers and such. This is the best way to use it, so you don't accidentally stow it in any containers.
• You can get a person's fingerprints by directly scanning them with a Forensic Scanner.
• The Universal Recorder works even in a storage item. Turn it on and keep it in your bag, or keep recorders around the station, and go and check on them to see if they caught anything incriminating.
  • They also automatically translate any languages.
• Tiny items other than the flask can fit in your fedora (if you're wearing one), such as a GPS or a Universal Recorder.
• If you find no traces at all on something that should have them, it's very likely someone used soap to clean up the evidence.
• Contraband shouldn't be used except under emergency situations. Make sure it makes it to the Warden and that it's firmly locked away.