Skrem 7

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 [[Paramedic|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 [[Space_Law#Severe_Crimes|severe]] enough, ask your [[Security Officer|fellow, loyal officers]] for help in bringing suspects in.

* 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.

*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"]], [[Syndicate Items|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.

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 [[Head of Security|boss]] is, and defer to them if they don't agree with the direction your investigation is heading. Though, if you have free time, it's worthwhile to follow up on something and keep an eye out on any shady individuals, even if the Head of Security pardons their suspicion.

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.

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.

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 [[Blood Cult|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.

Inevitably, much of your aptitude as a Detective boils down to game sense. Understanding suspicious behavior and characteristics of certain antagonists gives you a significant edge as a grizzled detective over a sheepish novice. Understanding the environment also falls in this category. A thief might have hidden a high-risk item in a plant in their workplace, or in a locker near the scene of the crime if Security was quick to respond. Pay attention to the clever things criminals will do, and adapt your strategies and investigations to match them. '''Be careful to not engage in metagaming.'''

As one of [[Nanotrasen|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.

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, but take care not to hit unintended targets. 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 (one can easily be found in the [[Cargo Office]]). 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:

TRAC is useful with a tracking program, as you can tag a fleeing suspect and track them for a fairly long time. This turns your revolver into more of a utility tool, rather than a weapon to actually kill people. Hot Shot, on the other hand, WILL kill people, as it does brute equal to the burn damage a laser gun does, while also setting any targets on fire immediately. Combined with the spam-y nature of the revolver, any target of Hot Shot is likely to die and husk from burn, unless they have significantly robust fire resistance or immunity. Iceblox is much the same, but it significantly slows people down, rather than set them alit. Note that cold damage is equally capable of husking, as it deals burn damage, too.

By emptying your revolver of bullets and using a screwdriver on it, you can reinforce the barrel, converting the caliber to .357. There are four main things to note about this decision:

# Each pull of the trigger has a chance to misfire the weapon, causing it to explode in your hand, dealing moderate brute damage and forcing you to drop the weapon. The round will not be used. The fewer live rounds present in the revolver, the higher the chance of misfire.

While this does significantly increase the lethality of the revolver, it becomes much more difficult to obtain, store, and load ammunition. In addition, the misfire represents a randomness that can and will get you killed. If you're dealing with a threat that demands .357, and you misfire, the chances of you walking away alive drop dramatically. You can alleviate the dropping by obtaining an Anti-Drop implant from Medical or [[Robotics Lab|Robotics]], once the appropriate research has been done, but you will still deal the brute to yourself and the shot will not go off.

If for some reason you obtain a speed loader meant for the Syndicate .357 revolver, you can use it on a modified .38 revolver, despite the speed loader holding 7 bullets and the Detective's revolver holding 6. This can help to alleviate the problems of bulky ammunition and slow reloading times.

As usage of the Scanner has already been extensively covered in Scene Analysis 101, there's little more to discuss regarding its utility. More than your gun, it's important to keep this on you at all times. Without it, your investigations might as well be performed by the average joe.

* '''PDA''', located on your waist when you spawn, loaded with a D.E.T.E.C.T. cartridge that gives you Security and Medical records, as well as being able to check the crew manifest. The last is useful if you suspect non-crew on the station, posing that they are.

* '''White Crayon''', located in your pocket when you spawn. It can be used to draw outlines around corpses if you want to seriously roleplay your investigations (despite the contamination this would cause).

* '''Detective Clothing Bag''', located in your locker. Possesses all varieties of clothing to fulfill your noir desires. The trenchcoats and armor vest provide armor, and count as Security exosuits for the purposes of storing gear on them.

* '''Fedora''', located on your head when you spawn. If you ALT+CLICK on it, it'll pull out a candy corn every so often, as well as reveal the flask hidden inside, which is filled with whiskey. The brown fedora's tiny inventory slot can be opened just by clicking; the black fedora requires you to alt+click, nor does it have candy corns.

* '''Handcuffs''', located in the Brig and the Security Office. Carrying a pair or two is good for if you have to restrain a suspect or assist an officer. '''Under normal circumstances, you should not be making arrests by yourself.'''

* '''Flash''', located in the Security Office. Can be used to instantly stun someone in melee range if they lack flash protection. '''This hardstuns cyborgs and renders them unable to act or see.''' You can also interact with it in-hand by clicking on it or pressing Z to perform an area flash, blinding people around you without flash protection, and making them disorientated, making it difficult for them to move in a straight line.

*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.

*If someone's broken into any Security Posts and stolen the locker, you can assume the Security radio channel is compromised. If you narrow down the suspects based on fibers, make sure to have the officers who search them check their radio headsets as well.

*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 container. 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.