The Criminal Investigative Division provides investigative services to all Anoka County police agencies. The division is responsible for most felony-level investigations of crimes occurring in Sheriff's Office patrol areas and felony cases not assumed by local police departments. The division specializes in investigations of:
- Child abuse
- Child pornography
- Homicides and death investigations
- Sexual assaults
The division also has investigators trained in:
- Arson
- Cell phone / tablet / PDA forensics
- Computer and video forensics
- Fraud prevention - working in the area of welfare fraud
- Polygraph
The division also maintains the registry for predatory offenders for the Sheriff's Office service area.