Steve Jackson Games Forums - View Single Post - US Law Enforcement Response, Time, Scale and Coordination (Galveston, TX)

Icelander · 06-14-2019, 08:06 AM

Right, formally, Chief Vernon Hale of the Galveston PD is in charge of the investigation and Sheriff Henry Trochesset will provide support from the GCSO.

The Texas DPS will send detectives, crime scene investigators and hordes of support personnel, to include at least one Texas Ranger. I wonder how high-ranking the LEO in charge of the Texas DPS contingent should be? Someone from Texas DPS CID Southeast Region in Houston? Someone sent from Austin HQ? A Texas Ranger from Company A in Houston?

Coordinating the manhunt for suspects in the shooting and any accomplices will be the Gulf Coast Violent Offenders and Fugitive Task Force, led by the US Marshals and already manned by Galveston PD, GCSO, Texas DPS and numerous local PDs, all used to working together. The federal 'assistance' will be provided by attaching elements from the FBI, ATF and other federal agencies to the existing Task Force.

The commander of the Gulf Coast Violent Offenders and Fugitive Task Force, Supervisory Deputy US Marshal Norman D. Merkel was traveling in from Corpus Christi to head his task force, but did not arrive during the day of the 29th of December, 2018, as he should have. The PCs are unaware of this, but it is because Supervisory Deputy Merkell collapsed from a heart attack at the airport and was taken to hospital. His subordinates have been notified, but the PCs have been out of the loop for a few hours and so missed that information. In any case, that means that either the most senior Deputy US Marshal in the small Galveston office who belongs to the GCVO Task Force or a Supervisory Deputy from Houston will represent the U.S. Marshals Service, at least for the time being.

U.S. Marshals' Texas southern district spokesman Alfredo Perez is meant to handle press relations for the task force, although no one, from Chief Hale up to senior DPS staff and various federal LEOs, has any plans on avoiding talking to the press.

Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Houston office, Edward Michel, will lead the FBI contingent and practically considers himself in charge of the investigation, with the locals retaining the lead in name only.

Purely by accident, it turns out that PC Lucien Lacoste's backstory includes serving as the NOPD liaison to several task forces with state and federal LEAs in Louisiana, which means that Lacoste knows ASAC Michel from when Michel was Supervisory Senior Resident Agent in Baton Rouge from 2007-2009. Also, looking over Michel's career, he worked with Lacoste's father in the early 90s, in the NOPD. Rolling for Reaction with all suitable modifiers, the two men have a good professional relationship (14, Good). That should help Lacoste avoid being sidelined as a crazy person.

What kind of rank should the Texas DPS representative, who also probably believes unequivacally that they are actually in charge, have?

06-14-2019, 08:06 AM	#118
Icelander Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Iceland*	Incident Investigation and Personalities Right, formally, Chief Vernon Hale of the Galveston PD is in charge of the investigation and Sheriff Henry Trochesset will provide support from the GCSO. The Texas DPS will send detectives, crime scene investigators and hordes of support personnel, to include at least one Texas Ranger. I wonder how high-ranking the LEO in charge of the Texas DPS contingent should be? Someone from Texas DPS CID Southeast Region in Houston? Someone sent from Austin HQ? A Texas Ranger from Company A in Houston? Coordinating the manhunt for suspects in the shooting and any accomplices will be the Gulf Coast Violent Offenders and Fugitive Task Force, led by the US Marshals and already manned by Galveston PD, GCSO, Texas DPS and numerous local PDs, all used to working together. The federal 'assistance' will be provided by attaching elements from the FBI, ATF and other federal agencies to the existing Task Force. The commander of the Gulf Coast Violent Offenders and Fugitive Task Force, Supervisory Deputy US Marshal Norman D. Merkel was traveling in from Corpus Christi to head his task force, but did not arrive during the day of the 29th of December, 2018, as he should have. The PCs are unaware of this, but it is because Supervisory Deputy Merkell collapsed from a heart attack at the airport and was taken to hospital. His subordinates have been notified, but the PCs have been out of the loop for a few hours and so missed that information. In any case, that means that either the most senior Deputy US Marshal in the small Galveston office who belongs to the GCVO Task Force or a Supervisory Deputy from Houston will represent the U.S. Marshals Service, at least for the time being. U.S. Marshals' Texas southern district spokesman Alfredo Perez is meant to handle press relations for the task force, although no one, from Chief Hale up to senior DPS staff and various federal LEOs, has any plans on avoiding talking to the press. Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Houston office, Edward Michel, will lead the FBI contingent and practically considers himself in charge of the investigation, with the locals retaining the lead in name only. Purely by accident, it turns out that PC Lucien Lacoste's backstory includes serving as the NOPD liaison to several task forces with state and federal LEAs in Louisiana, which means that Lacoste knows ASAC Michel from when Michel was Supervisory Senior Resident Agent in Baton Rouge from 2007-2009. Also, looking over Michel's career, he worked with Lacoste's father in the early 90s, in the NOPD. Rolling for Reaction with all suitable modifiers, the two men have a good professional relationship (14, Good). That should help Lacoste avoid being sidelined as a crazy person. What kind of rank should the Texas DPS representative, who also probably believes unequivacally that they are actually in charge, have? __________________ Za uspiekh nashevo beznadiozhnovo diela! Last edited by Icelander; 02-14-2020 at 01:31 PM.