MASON — At a time when the number of calls for service remains fairly constant, police are doubling the size of the detective squad.

        It's not the number of crimes, but rather the nature of them that prompted the move, Assistant Chief Steve Schuchart said.

        With white-collar schemes and computer offenses becoming more common everywhere, investigations are taking more time, he said.

        In addition, he said, the city's decision to beef up the unit to four detectives comes on the heels of several high-profile cases. They include a series of unsolved rapes that have been linked to the same suspect, a homicide and a neighborhood parking dispute that left one resident seriously injured.

        Those cases required endless of hours of investigation, Assistant Chief Schuchart said. The rape investigation has tied up one detective exclusively for two years.

        “I think everybody realizes at this point in the city's history, we have developed a number of major cases that don't get any easier,” Assis tant Chief Schuchart said.

        “They are very labor intensive and we need to have enough trained people on staff to be able to handle the interview and follow-up contacts that are necessary.”

        Sgt. Todd Carter, who worked as the school resource officer at Mason High School until his promotion in September, already has joined detectives Scott Doughman and Don Cope as the squad's third investigator and its first supervisor.

        By spring, Officer Michael Downey, now the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) and community service officer, is expected to be transferred to the unit.

        Traditionally, the squad has consisted of two detectives since the late 1980s, just a few years after the detective unit made its debut with Assistant Chief Schuchart as its only investigator.

        Since 1990, Mason has nearly doubled in population to more than 21,000 residents, according to U.S. Census estimates.

        The changes are part of a shift of personnel within the force, which includes the addition of four positions as part of the 2000 budget.

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