The District Attorney's Office has sworn police officers operating as a unit within the office as county detectives. As established by the County Code of Pennsylvania, County Detectives have both the powers as police officers and constables.

All detectives receive training as police officers and obtain specialty training in their fields. The purposes of the county detectives are four fold:
1. They work in conjunction with the prosecutors in case preparation and investigation. They serve subpoenas, interview witnesses, store evidence and take statements in preparation of cases for trial, execute extraditions and case expungements.
2. They offer technical assistance for local police departments. Whenever a police department is involved in a case, which may be larger or more complicated than the department's resources, the county detectives assist with manpower, technical assistance or in any other way they can.
3. County detectives initiate cases independently. Detectives open cases in all areas of criminal activity and prosecute them through our office.
4. The county detectives have a group of undercover detectives who specialize in narcotics work. These officers both open cases independently and assist other departments when requested, enforcing drug laws throughout the county.
The county detectives also operate the central processing unit in the courthouse. Persons arrested for crimes in the county are digitally imaged (photographed) and AFIS processed (fingerprinted) through the latest in technology, networking all counties in the state into one central repository for information. The detectives have access to the latest in technology available to them to assist the citizens throughout the county.

For more information or to report a crime contact Chief of Detectives, Joe Jordan

Email: jordanj@lackawannacounty.org
Phone: 570-963-1111