Station Detectives investigate general crime cases against persons and property. Examples of these cases are: annoying telephone calls, assaults, auto thefts, burglaries, frauds, hate crimes, lost\found property, robberies, thefts, vandalisms, violations of court orders. Specialized units outside the Imperial Beach Command investigate cases involving: bomb\arson, child abuse, domestic violence, elder abuse, major fraud, gangs, homicides, sexual assaults, and narcotics.

When a crime is reported, a Patrol Deputy or Community Service Officer will take the initial report. The report is then approved and assigned to a detective. If there are investigative leads, the Detective will conduct a follow-up investigation based on information and/or evidence provided in the initial report. Detectives write arrest and search warrants on cases when appropriate. Completed cases and arrests are forwarded to the District Attorney's Office for possible criminal prosecution in court.

Some cases are listed as "Non-workable" because there are no investigative leads: No suspect information, no evidence, no license plates, etc. In these cases, the detectives hold them as "suspended" until they receive information that may help identify a suspect or otherwise close the case.

Detectives support Patrol Deputies by responding to critical incidents and major crime scenes. Detectives are on a rotating on-call status, making them available 24 hours a day, for serious crimes. Detectives periodically provide security at special events along with conducting surveillance, truancy sweeps, and warrant details.