The team makes the decision whether prosecuting the case is in the best interest of the victim. Prosecution requires presenting the case to the Davidson County Grand Jury for possible indictment which allows for the arrest of the alleged suspect. The case can then be resolved through a criminal trial which determines guilt or innocence or through a plea bargain which requires a guilty plea and an agreed upon sentence. This investigation process can be lengthy due to the nature of the cases. Investigative handles about 1100 abuse cases a year.
Officers are on call for emergencies.
The Juvenile Citation Program allows offenders to receive counseling as a result of violating a status or misdemeanor offense. Police officers issue citations to offenders at the scene of the violation instead of taking them into custody to Juvenile Court. However, citations issued to juveniles who have previous violations, enter a plea of innocence, or fail to settle their citation with the Counseling Section are referred to Juvenile Court. The Request Counseling Program makes counseling available to unruly offenders whose parents or guardians request counseling in an effort to counteract behavioral problems which may evolve in violation of the law. A counseling session is focused on a comprehensive assessment of the juvenile's behavior in the home, school, and community.