Evidence, Dedication, and Duty

 Officer Jim Hitchcock is not your average police officer. While most police officers perform everyday tasks like patrolling, responding to calls, and issuing speeding tickets, his job is much more complex. If you saw him outside of work, you would think he's just a typical middle-aged father, standing around 6 feet tall and with a buzzed head. One might think he might be retired or working in an office job, but that is not the case here. Jim works at the State Police Barracks located in Dunmore, Pennsylvania, where he is a forensics investigator. 

At first glance, the Dunmore State Police Barracks appears to be a modern police department with a clean institutional look. At the entrance, the Pennsylvania State Police logo is mounted above the doorway, reminding officers why they go to work every day. As you step into Jim's office, you will see a rectangular room with 2 desks separated by a divider. One desk belongs to Jim, tucked towards the back of the room, and his partner’s desk located towards the front of the room. On Jim's desk, a computer sits idly by, waiting for the next report to be written on it. Folders with dividers are neatly stacked next to a printer. To the right of Jim's desk stands yet another computer, with hundreds of files containing crime scene and autopsy pictures. Jim and his coworkers investigate four counties in Pennsylvania: Susquehanna, Lackawanna, Wayne, and Pike. He investigates about 120-140 cases per year, and none is more common than the others.

What Does the Job Entail?
A job like this involves many elements. However, there is no day-by-day structure they follow. Most officers might come into work, patrol a certain area, then head to the next spot, but Jim’s job is almost the opposite. "One minute you can be watching the Super Bowl, and the next you're getting called out for an investigation." While some of the calls he gets are unexpected, most come when he's at work. "Typically, I'll be here at my desk writing some reports or finishing up other work when a call comes in, then I hop in the van and head to the crime scene." Jim drives to the scenes in his work vehicle, an average white van with yellow stripes on the sides and a Pennsylvania State Police logo proudly displayed on the sides and the hood. The front accommodates a driver and passenger seat, with various police technologies. The back holds a bunch of space, and the sides contain everything Jim might need when investigating a case, such as materials needed when superglue fuming, his camera, and any different lenses he might need, items used to dust and lift fingerprints, evidence bags and markers, and many other items used when investigating.

    Getting the phone call for a case is just the first part of the job. As a forensics expert, you need to know a wide variety of skills. But don't worry, if you want a job like this, most of the training and skills are through on-the-job training. In college classes or at the police academy, students learn how to interpret blood spatter or tire marks, which is important, but not as important as one may think. "Most of the skills needed for the job you learn at the academy, but the most important skills needed are simple, such as reading and writing comprehension." Officers need to know how to properly read case law, know the elements of a crime, write descriptive reports, and be good writers. "If you write a crappy report or miss one detail of the crime, it could ruin the whole case, and then you're in trouble with your superiors. A lot of it is common sense. If you write a good, detailed report and you know what you're doing, you'll be fine." One missed detail, or a poorly written report, could let a criminal walk free, so knowing how to interpret case laws and writing well is extremely important. You also learn a lot of things as well. "Although I've been working here for over 30 years, I learn something new almost every day through autopsies." Autopsies are critical to the job because this is how officers and investigators find the cause of death. If it's a natural death, autopsies reveal what they died from, such as a heart attack, stroke, or another natural cause. One could also find out if the victim was a smoker, an alcoholic, or a drug user. Autopsies are most commonly used in investigations dealing with deaths that are most likely not natural causes.  

The Largest Case Officer Hitchcock Has Worked

    Officer Hitchcock has worked countless local investigations, but national news-worthy cases do not happen often, especially in Northeast Pennsylvania, let alone being the lead on one. However, Jim was the lead in the manhunt for Eric Frein in 2014. Frein killed one Pennsylvania State Trooper and critically injured another one outside the State Police Barracks in Blooming Grove. He ditched his items and went on the run, landing himself on the FBI's most wanted list and starting a 50-day manhunt throughout Pennsylvania. "I was the lead forensics expert on that case, and it was the most stressful case I've ever worked on," Jim sighed as he rubbed his head. "There were thousands of pieces of evidence we looked at. Fibers from clothes, DNA, and fingerprints. There was so much to look at. Most nights, I wasn't even home. I slept in the back of my van with the number of times I was getting called in." Frein was eventually caught and found guilty of all charges.

How Did He Get Here?
    Every police officer has to go through training, and it was no different for Officer Hitchcock. His State Police Academy training took place in Hershey, Pennsylvania, for about six and a half months. During training, he took classes in criminal law and vehicle law, participated in fitness training, and completed additional coursework and tests to earn his PA State Police certification. After completing basic training, officers take exams to find out whether they made the graduating class. "In the past, and while I was moving through the Academy, there were about 2,000 applicants, and I was one of the 300 accepted. Becoming a police officer or State Trooper was seen as an elite status, and I was lucky to be able to join." Before moving up in the police world, all cops must have at least 3 years of patrol to learn the basics of the job. "I spent 3 years in the patrol unit, and I wasn't a fan. It helped me learn the basics, but I hated it. As a patrol unit, you deal with crap all the time, whether it be settling domestic disputes or dealing with people who call the police over small issues, so I quickly learned I wanted to do something else. I always had a love for photography. I enjoyed the nature of the job, and I knew I wanted to be a criminal investigator, so when offered the job, I took advantage of that." Officer Hitchcock has been in this position for over 30 years and plans on retiring soon, but there's one thing stopping him. "I can retire whenever, but here at the State Police, there just aren't enough people", Jim said in a soft-spoken demeanor, "Numbers of applicants have dropped significantly, just because of how police officers are looked at in society. Like I said earlier, when I applied, there were about 2,000 applicants. Now, we're getting maybe 500-600 applicants." The number of people entering law enforcement is declining, so much so that some academies now require only a high school diploma to apply. Comparing the number of people who apply today to back when Jim applied just shows how much harder he had to work to get to this position.

Final Thoughts

Officer Hitchcock stressed that although this job might demand a lot, and it is not easy, it is definitely rewarding. The skills you learn stay with you for life, and you meet many people in the criminal justice world, building connections. "I love my job, and I wouldn't trade it for the world," Jim said as he smiled. "I encourage others to join law enforcement. It doesn't have to be a job like mine, but law enforcement is important." It is this sentiment that influences Jim Hitchcock’s friends, family, and co-workers to view him as an outstanding member of the community and a respected member of his field.