The Forensic Identification Unit is staffed by two highly trained police constables, who have been accredited as Forensic Identification Officers (FIO) by the Ontario Police College. These officers are responsible to attend scenes where a crime has been committed and evidence must be gathered, scenes where there are serious injuries, scenes where there are unexplained deaths, scenes where there is violence, or scenes where there has been a large property value loss.
It is the responsibility of the FIO to identify, preserve, collect and process evidence. These officers are considered experts in fingerprint identification. The FIO also collects DNA from crime scenes as well as when ordered by a Judge to collect DNA from convicted offenders. South Simcoe Police FIOs are also responsible for the collection, tracking and storage of seized drugs and firearms.
The FIOs also act as liaisons for the Centre of Forensic Sciences and the Office of the Chief Coroner of Ontario. They are also investigators for the Ontario Sex Offender Registry.
The South Simcoe Police also have Scene Of Crime Officers (SOCO) who are Primary Response Unit officers who are trained in evidence collection. SOCOs attend minor crime scenes for evidence collection, and send their results into the FIOs, who evaluate and further process the evidence. The FIOs deliver SOCO training courses under the guidance of the Ontario Police College.
