Criminal Investigation Division

The Criminal Investigation Division (C.I.D.) is under the command of Captain John McNeil. The C.I.D. is the investigative arm of the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office and serves the citizens of Jefferson County, Arkansas by investigating potential criminal violations of the Arkansas Criminal Code Annotated and related crimes in a manner that fosters confidence in the judicial system and compliance with the law.

The C.I.D. also handles the follow-up investigations of criminal offenses; the development of information contributing to offense prevention; and victim assistance.  The C.I.D. is responsible for processing and cataloging evidence at crime scenes.

The primary functions of the C.I.D. are as follows: to review and investigate reports of felony and misdemeanor criminal acts; identify suspects, both adult and juvenile; and prepare cases for prosecution with the District and County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. Investigative work is reactive from reports with the identification, arrest and prosecution of suspects and also proactive through the prevention of criminal acts in their identification of suspects.  Investigators also prepare affidavits for arrest warrants, search warrants, interview victims, witnesses, and suspects, and perform many other related duties.

The C.I.D. also provides support to victims of crimes during the course of an investigation. The crime victims and the community both benefit from the prosecution and punishment of criminals. Many investigations can be completed in a matter of weeks, whereas other investigations may take years before they are solved. Every attempt is made to prioritize their work so that cases involving injured persons, threats to personal safety and significant property loss receive the most immediate attention. The Investigation Division has at least one investigator designated as being “on call” at all times, but all investigators can be called in to work major crime scenes when needed. The investigators are available Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and can be contacted by dialing 870.541.5496

Captain John McNeil

Criminal Investigation Division Commander

Email: john.mcneil@jeffcoso.org

Phone: 870.541.5496 

Captain John McNeil's Bio

McNeil began his law-enforcement career as a reserve officer for the Pine Bluff Police Department in 1993.  McNeil was hired as a deputy with the Lincoln County Sheriff's Office in 1994.  McNeil then left Lincoln County and went on to work as a patrolman with the Star City Police Department in 1995, where he worked until 1997.

In 1997, McNeil became one of the original members of the Arkansas State Police supervised Central Arkansas Multi-Agency Enforcement Organization Drug Task Force (C.A.M.E.O.).  On 02/01/1999, McNeil was hired as an Investigator with the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office Criminal Investigation Division.  McNeil was promoted to Sergeant on January 1^st 2002 and was the operations supervisor of the Tri County Drug Task Force.  On October 1^st2002, McNeil was promoted to Lieutenant, where he was responsible for supervising the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office Criminal Investigation Division and the Tri County Drug Task Force. 

McNeil was promoted to Captain on August 9^th of 2004.  McNeil has also been the Commander of the Jefferson County Uniformed Patrol Division.  McNeil has received several awards to include the Arkansas Sheriff's Association Medal of Honor and the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office Medal of Honor.  McNeil served in the U.S. Army and the Arkansas National Guard as an Infantryman. The Criminal Investigation Division is responsible for all of Jefferson County criminal investigations.

Criminal Investigation Division Personnel

There are four (4) full-time investigators, one (1) part-time investigator and one secretary. In addition to the aforementioned personnel, the division is also staffed by the following command staff: