This Division is responsible for coordinating liaison activities with regard to criminal investigation, both intra-agency and inter-agency. In addition to the activities specified outlined below, the Commanding Officer of the Criminal Investigations Division (CID) or his designee has the responsibility to meet periodically with representatives of the District Attorney's Office and the local judiciary for both adult and juvenile courts. This division also consists of: 
Major Crimes Unit, which is responsible for the investigation of:
- all homicides
- all incidents of suspicious or unexplained deaths;
- police involved shootings where a person was struck by police gunfire;
- any crime or series of crimes as directed by the Commanding Officer of
the CID or the Deputy Chief of Operations.
License Investigation Unit, which is responsible for the investigation of applicants for licenses that are issued by the City of Rochester which require the approval of the Chief of Police, the maintenance of all files pertaining to such issued licenses, and the inspections of facilities either licensed by the Chief of Police or requiring such police inspections and enforcement pursuant to the Municipal Code. The License Unit is also responsible for the administration of the City's alarm ordinance and for processing N.Y.S. Pistol Permit Applications.
Impact Team, which is responsible for the continued investigation of missing person cases and investigating cases of intra-familial child abuse (physical or sexual) in which the suspect is 16 years of age or older. The Team is comprised of Department personnel working in conjunction with other area law enforcement agencies and the Monroe County Department of Social Services. Impact is also responsible for determining dispositions of open child abuse or child neglect investigations, assisting patrol sections (or others as directed by the Commanding Officer of the CID) in the investigation of any crime involving a child victim or any complaint of child abuse or neglect.
Technicians Unit, which is responsible for providing evidence gathering and analysis services to the Department. This component has the primary responsibility for crime scene processing including, but not limited to, photographing, videotaping, sketching the scene, and protecting, processing, collecting, and preserving physical evidence. It is also responsible for the developing, lifting, and labeling all fingerprints pursuant to the collection and preservation of evidence.