New Central Ohio Crime Gun Intelligence Center Enhances Law Enforcement Efforts to Combat Gun Violence

Columbus, Ohio - In a significant development, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) has announced the opening of a new Central Ohio Regional Crime Gun Intelligence Center (CGIC) in Columbus, Ohio. These centers are dedicated to addressing and preventing gun violence within local communities, serving as centralized hubs for the rapid collection, analysis, and sharing of information related to firearms used in violent crimes. This marks the second CGIC in Ohio and is part of a network of over 60 such centers operated by ATF across the United States.

Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco emphasized the effectiveness of Crime Gun Intelligence Centers in solving violent crimes, bringing repeat offenders to justice, and reducing gun violence nationwide. These centers facilitate collaboration between federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, harnessing resources to enhance public safety.

ATF Director Steven Dettelbach praised the progress made in Ohio through the use of crime gun intelligence and expressed optimism about the partnership's future in combating violent crime.

The CGICs primarily rely on two critical systems: eTrace and the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN). NIBIN, a vast network of ballistic images from crime scenes across the country, plays a pivotal role in solving shootings. It matches shell casings recovered from different crime scenes to identify links between multiple shootings. eTrace, on the other hand, traces firearms associated with criminal investigations back to their initial retail sale. These technologies help develop actionable intelligence leads, connecting shootings that may have occurred miles apart and identifying shooters more rapidly.

Ohio Governor Mark DeWine commended the Central Ohio CGIC as the next generation in intelligence-based policing. This initiative fosters collaboration among various agencies to target individuals involved in gun violence and hold them accountable for their actions.

Operated in partnership with the Columbus Division of Police, Ohio State Highway Patrol, Ohio Narcotics Intelligence Center, and Ohio Attorney General's Bureau of Criminal Investigation, the Central Ohio CGIC has been operational since July. It offers its services free of charge to law enforcement agencies in the region. Since its launch, the CGIC has successfully linked multiple shootings in Columbus this summer to crimes committed several years ago, including incidents in other parts of the state.

Mayor Andrew J. Ginther of the City of Columbus emphasized the power of collaboration to strengthen accountability and secure justice, highlighting the collective effort to connect firearms used in crimes with the individuals responsible.

U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Parker for the Southern District of Ohio underlined the impact of concentrated, collaborative efforts like the CGIC in reducing violence in cities, emphasizing the use of federal firearms laws to hold accountable those who use firearms to commit violent acts.

Additional agencies supporting the Central Ohio CGIC include the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, Franklin County Prosecutor’s Office, and U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Ohio.

ATF's commitment to opening more Crime Gun Intelligence Centers underscores its ongoing collaboration with state, local, and tribal law enforcement partners nationwide.

Latest Crime Statistics: Volumes Continue to Fall

The incidence of crime nationwide decreased again, according to our just released Crime in the United States report. Overall, the estimated volume of violent crimes in 2010 dropped 6 percent compared to the 2009 figure, the fourth consecutive year it has declined. For the eighth consecutive year, the volume of property crimes went down as well—2.7 percent.

The report was compiled from data submitted to us by more than 18,000 city, county, university and college, state, tribal, and federal law enforcement agencies from around the nation. It contains information on the number of reported murders and non-negligent manslaughters, forcible rapes, robberies, aggravated assaults, burglaries, larceny-thefts, motor vehicle thefts, and arsons.

Violent crime offenses were down across the board—the largest decrease was robbery, down 10.0 percent. Property crime offenses went down as well—the largest decline, 7.4 percent, was for motor vehicle thefts.

Here are some highlights from Crime in the United States, 2010:

■Total number of crimes reported: 10,329,135 (1,246,248 violent crimes and 9,082,887 property crimes);

■Most common violent crime: aggravated assault (62.5 percent of all violent crimes during 2010);

■Most common property crime: larceny-theft (68.2 percent of all property crimes during 2010);

■Top three crimes for which law enforcement reported arrests: drug abuse violations (1,638,846), driving while intoxicated (1,412,223), and larceny-theft (1,271,410);

■Total number of arrests, excluding traffic violations: 13,120,947, including 552,077 for violent crimes and 1,643,962 for property crimes (the number of arrests doesn’t reflect the number of individuals arrested—some individuals may have been arrested more than once);

■Most common characteristics of arrestees: 74.5 percent of arrestees were male, and 69.4 percent of arrestees were white; 

■How often firearms were used in crimes: in 67.5 percent of reported murders, 41.4 percent of reported robberies, and 20.6 percent of aggravated assaults; and

■Total losses for victims of property crimes, excluding arsons: an estimated $15.7 billion.

Beyond the crime count. The report contains what’s called “expanded offense data.” This information involves additional details about some of the crimes—i.e., type of weapon used; locations of robberies; type or value of items stolen; and for the offense of murder, the age, sex, and race of victims and offenders, and, if known, the relationship of the victim to the offender.

It also contains arrest data on the above crimes, plus about 20 other offenses, including forgery/counterfeiting, fraud, gambling, weapons violations, drug violations, sex offenses, and driving under the influence.

You can browse through the statistics contained in the report and choose particular information you’d like to focus on—like national data, regional data, state totals, reporting agencies, cities and counties grouped by populations, and statistics from certain metropolitan areas.

We caution against drawing any kind of conclusions from the report by making direct comparisons between cities. Valid assessments are only possible with an understanding of various factors affecting each jurisdiction. For more details, read the Caution Against Ranking.

According to FBI Director Robert Mueller, Crime in the United States can provide “valuable insight into the nature and volume of crime in small and large communities alike.” It can also “offer a picture that experts can study, and as a result, produce new strategies or improve current methods of combating crime.”

UCR Data Tool: Customize Your Data

The FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) program, which collects and publishes crime statistics, has developed an online database tool to make it easier to search for crime data going back to 1960.

The Uniform Crime Reports table-building tool provides information within the following parameters:

- National crime statistics from 1960 through the most recent year available

- State crime statistics from 1960 through the most recent year available

- City and county statistics from 1985 through the most recent year available (Data are for city jurisdictions with populations of 10,000 or more and county agencies of 25,000 or more. Not all data are available for each jurisdiction for each year.)

Crime Mapping

On January 28, 2010, Conversations with American Heroes at the Watering Hole will feature a discussion with Michael R. King on Crime Mapping.

Program Date: January 28, 2010
Program Time: 1700 Hours Pacific
Topic: Crime Mapping
Listen Live: www.americanheroesradio.com/crime_mapping.html

About the Guest
Michael R. King is a National Law Enforcement Account Manager for ESRI, the Environmental Systems Research Institute, a worldwide leader of GIS software. He was a Product Planning Manager for Motorola, Inc. from 2004-2006. In 2004, Michael R. King retired from full-time Law Enforcement and has over 28 years of service. He began his law enforcement career in 1979. After 8 years of experience with the Ogden Utah Police Department, Michael R. King became the Chief of Staff for Weber County Attorney, Reed M. Richards. He served in that capacity and as lead investigator for 8 years.

In 1993, Michael R. King became an investigator with the Utah Attorney General’s Office where he investigated sexual offenses, cult activity and white-collar crimes. He was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant and eventually promoted to Chief of Staff under Attorney General Jan Graham. During this time, King was trained as a criminal profiler through the FBI. He served as the co-chair of the FBI’s Violent Criminal Apprehension Program National Board. Michael R. King has consulted on hundreds of complex criminal cases around the world.

Michael R. King has a Master of Criminal Justice Degree and a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Criminal Justice. He is an adjunct faculty member for the school of Criminal Justice at Salt Lake Community College and Weber State University. He is a member of the Harvard Medical School Program in Psychiatry and the Law (2003-present) and is a Visiting Scholar for the School of Nursing at Boston College (2005-present).

Mike has authored, in part or whole, a number of books, including: Analyzing Criminal Behavior; Cold Case Methodology; and, Predators: Who They are and How to Stop Them.

About the Watering Hole
The Watering Hole is Police slang for a location cops go off-duty to blow off steam and talk about work and life. American Heroes Radio brings you to the watering hole, where it is Sometimes funny; sometimes serious; but, always interesting.

About the Host
Lieutenant Raymond E. Foster was a sworn member of the Los Angeles Police Department for 24 years. He retired in 2003 at the rank of Lieutenant. He holds a bachelor’s from the Union Institute and University in Criminal Justice Management and a Master’s Degree in Public Financial Management from California State University, Fullerton; and, has completed his doctoral course work. Raymond E. Foster has been a part-time lecturer at California State University, Fullerton and Fresno; and is currently a Criminal Justice Department chair, faculty advisor and lecturer with the Union Institute and University. He has experience teaching upper division courses in Law Enforcement, public policy, Public Safety Technology and leadership. Raymond is an experienced author who has published numerous articles in a wide range of venues including magazines such as Government Technology, Mobile Government, Airborne Law Enforcement Magazine, and Police One. He has appeared on the History Channel and radio programs in the United States and Europe as subject matter expert in technological applications in Law Enforcement.

Listen, call, join us at the Watering Hole:
Program Contact Information
Lieutenant Raymond E. Foster, LAPD (ret.), MPA
editor@police-writers.com
909.599.7530

Public Safety Technology in the News

Transit Police Look At Text-Messaging
Washington Post, (09/14/2008), Lena H. Sun

Metro Transit Police are considering joining the growing number of Law enforcement agencies that allow citizens to report crimes through text messaging. Text messaging will not replace other ways of reporting problems, such as alerting train operators or calling the Transit Police. But sending a text message from a cell phone or BlackBerry could help passengers who feel intimated or threatened if they openly report criminal activity using the train intercom or phone. Transit Police plan to test the idea using Metro employees who have Blackberrys. The employees will use text messaging to report problems they encounter during their daily routine. Other agencies in the Washington, D.C. area that have text-messaging programs include the Metropolitan Police Department and the Fairfax County (Virginia) Police Department.
www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/13/AR2008091302194.html

Missing Boy Found With Radio Device
WCBV-TV Boston, (09/14/2008)

Rescuers in Massachusetts found a 10-year-old autistic boy only 18 minutes after he disappeared thanks to a tracking device the boy was wearing. The boy was with his caregiver near his home in Sherborn when he ran into the woods. Firefighters found the boy quickly because of a tracking device provided by Project Lifesaver International that is worn on the ankle and emits a tracking signal. Project Lifesaver International said average recovery time for people wearing the device is less than 30 minutes.
www.thebostonchannel.com/news/17471963/detail.html

Sheltering a Sex Offender in Texas? Check the Database!
Government technology, (09/12/2008), Corey Mckenna

To aid emergency shelters and protect evacuees during Hurricane Ike, Texas authorities established a 24-hour, toll-free emergency hotline to identify sex offenders. The hotline established by the state Office of the Attorney General allows shelter personnel to call, fax or e-mail inquiries as to whether an evacuee is a registered sex offender. Law enforcement officials then access and share information through database searches. Shelter managers can then coordinate special housing if necessary. In December 2007 Texas began using a statewide citizen-evacuation management tracking system. In the event of an emergency, evacuees are registered and issued a barcoded RFID wristband as they board an evacuee bus. The buses are equipped with GPS systems, and when they reach their destination, the evacuees information is updated. This allows state employees to respond to inquires from family members and help reunite families separated during a disaster.
www.govtech.com/gt/410273?topic=117680

Tough Life Approaching for Criminals
WIBV-TV, (09/12/2008)

Crime solving in New York's Erie County just got a little easier. The new $5 million Erie County Crime Analysis Center links more than 20 Law enforcement agencies by sharing intelligence data. Ten trained analysts man the center. Analysis involves a variety of criminal activity and criminals who may be on the move. The computer also processes information to help identify crime patterns and hotspots.
www.wivb.com/Global/story.asp?S=9000582

Security Begins At Home
The Sun Chronicle, (09/11/2008), Rick Foster

Massachusetts is implementing a Statewide Information Sharing System for Law enforcement. When fully operational, the system, known as SWISS, will collect and store information from Law enforcement agencies in all of the state's 351 cities and towns. SWISS will also connect to databases in all 50 states and the FBI. Data could be accessed in police cruisers using laptop computers. Several jurisdictions in the state already link to each other under their own system that allows officers to share data on criminal investigations and vehicle records. Existing database sharing systems will be able to share information with SWISS.
www.thesunchronicle.com/articles/2008/09/11/news/3621981.txt

Caught on the Web
Santa Barbara Independent, (09/14/2008), Chris Meagher

Social networking sites in the Internet are providing Law enforcement with additional tools to fight crime. Sites such as MySpace.com and Facebook.com can reveal clues to an individual's activities, such as gang membership. MySpace distributes a Law enforcement guide, and has a 24-hour hotline through which investigators can make emergency requests for information. To obtain access to information beyond what is available to the general public, Law enforcement must show a legal reason and obtain authority such as a search warrant or court order. Authorities can seek a subpoena to open an individual's private messages.
www.independent.com/news/2008/sep/14/caught-web/

False Alarms Common With GPS Monitoring
Connecticut Law Tribune, (09/22/2008), Douglas S. Malan and Paul Sussman

Law enforcement authorities who use global positioning systems (GPS) to monitor parolees are finding that the devices provide a surprising number of false alerts. A report prepared by the Indiana Department of Correction in 2007 found that while GPS is useful for tracking parolees' whereabouts, "loss of coverage and faulty alerts may prevent GPS technology from completing its intended task." The study said GPS could overwhelm police with faulty alerts, but that the number should drop as technology evolves. In Connecticut the GPS units tracking a released serial rapist registered 44 false alerts in 11 months, according to the man's attorney. A 2007 study in Arizona found that during the state's first year of using GPS monitoring, more than 350,000 false alerts were generated by 140 people wearing monitoring devices. Factors that can lead to false alarms include low batteries. About two dozen states use some form of GPS monitoring to track offenders.
www.ctlawtribune.com/getarticle.aspx?ID=31533

New FBI technology: eGuardian
Right Side News, (09/19/2008)

A new FBI system will allow local, state, and federal agencies to share and track terrorism information and suspicious activities. The eGuardian system is a spinoff of a classified tool called Guardian, which the FBI has been using internally for the past four years. FBI field offices uses Guardian to report suspicious activity and potential terrorism threats. The reports are analyzed by agents at FBI headquarters. With eGuardian, other agencies will be able to run searches and enter their own reports. eGuardian will be available to more than 18,000 agencies through the FBI's secure Law enforcement Online portal. Reports will be automatically sent to a central hub for review by FBI analysts, who will either monitor, close or refer the report to an FBI terror task force. eGuardian is being piloted by several agencies before being phased in nationwide later this year.
www.rightsidenews.com/200809191987/homeland-security/new-fbi-technology-eguardian.html

DNA Helps Solve Two Cold Case Murders
The Southern, (09/18/2008), Blackwell Thomas

A new technique for identifying DNA is helping police in Illinois solve old murder cases. The technique, known as Mini-STR sampling, enables authorities to use damaged or decayed DNA samples that would have previously been unusable. Police in Carbondale announced in September that they had closed a 1976 murder case using skin samples taken from under the fingernails of the female victim's left hand at the time of the autopsy 32 years ago. Police also closed a 1975 murder case. The identified suspect in both cases died in 1993 while on death row for the murder of a third woman. William Frank, a DNA research coordinator with the Illinois State Police lab, explained that compared to earlier technology, the new technology has increased by a factor of 100 the ability of scientists to identify DNA.
www.southernillinoisan.com/articles/2008/09/18/front_page/25943760.txt

Fake Identification a Thing of the Past?
Naples News, (09/11/2008), Ryan Mills

Two Florida Law enforcement agencies are testing a program to assist in positive identification of people using a portable electronic fingerprint device. Rapid ID scans two fingerprint images and compares them to a statewide database that contains information on 4 million individuals that have been arrested in Florida or are the subject of arrest warrants. The Collier County Sheriff's Office says the technology can come in handy when confusion exists over someone's identity, such as during a traffic stop. Driver's licenses can be altered or fraudulently copied. If Rapid ID produces a match, the individual's criminal history and warrants will be delivered to the computer in the deputy's car within minutes.
www.naplesnews.com/news/2008/sep/11/collier-county-sheriffs-office-pilots-fingerprint-

Royal Canadian Mounted Police

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Coquitlam, BC, will host a Crime Analysis Applications Course from October 6th to October 10th 2008. The course will be presented by Steve Gottlieb, Executive Director of the Alpha Group Center for Crime and Intelligence Analysis Training, and may be used for Certification purposes in the Certificate in Crime and Intelligence Program offered by the California Department of Justice and the California State University system.

This will be a "hands-on" applications course which takes a "learning-by-doing," practical approach to training. Students will actually perform the tasks associated with Crime Analysis work. Each participant will also receive a copy of Mr. Gottlieb's book, "Crime Analysis: From First Report to Final Arrest," a textbook over 600 pages which explains how to design, implement, and operate a Crime Analysis program, and how to use a wide variety of analytical techniques to forecast when and where criminals are likely to strike again. Each participant will also receive a copy of Mr. Gottlieb's 150-page step-by-step "Crime Analysis Study Guide and Workbook," which will be used throughout the class. Tuition is $525.00 and includes the week of instruction, the text, workbook, and a wealth of handout materials.

To obtain a course brochure or to register for the course, please contact remittance Cpl Robert McDonald, RCMP, 2986 Guldford Way, Coquitlam, BC, Canada.You may also register by phone by calling Cpl McDonald at (604)945-1472 by faxing your registration form to him at (604)552-7303 or by email to: Robert.mcdonald@rcmp-grc.gc.ca or Diana Olson of the Alpha Group at (909) 484-2169 or contact by e-mail at: crimecrush@aol.com. Additional information about the content of the course can also be found on the Alpha Group website at www.alphagroupcenter.com

Compstat and Organizational Change: A National Assessment

One of the clearest findings of the study is that Compstat--which combines state-of-the-art management principles with cutting-edge crime analysis and geographic information systems technology--has spread widely and quickly across American police agencies since being introduced in 1994 in the New York City Police Department. Among departments with 100 or more sworn officers, 6 in 10 reported that they had or intended to develop within a year a Compstat-like program.

The rate of adoption was much less among departments with between 50 and 99 sworn officers. This report suggests that one of the primary reasons for its spread is its fit with the traditional organizational structure of American policing. It harnesses that structure in attempting to make traditional American police work more efficient and effective. Compstat departments, therefore, were less likely to implement specific elements of Compstat that demand significant change in the daily work and management of police agencies. Compstat has been most influential in featuring problem-solving, which has become an accepted feature of American policing. It also provides an approach to reform that empowers rather than challenges the traditional hierarchical military structure of American police organization.

According to Compstat's principal proponents, its various elements interweave to form a coherent program with its own logical integrity. The findings of this study, however, challenge this perspective in showing that some elements as implemented generate their own internal inconsistencies and may not integrate with one another as envisioned. Also, certain elements (e.g., mission clarification and internal accountability) may conflict with or de-emphasize existing innovative programs such as community policing. 38 references, site visit reports, and a case study of 1 department

READ ON
http://www.ncjrs.gov/App/Publications/abstract.aspx?ID=244221

Integrated Intelligence and Crime Analysis: Enhanced Information Management for Law Enforcement Leaders

Law enforcement executives are increasingly recognizing that they are no longer in an information-poor world: data and information about the criminal environment and criminal activity abound. The challenge is to corral this wealth of data into knowledge that can enhance decision making, improve strategies to combat crime, and increase crime prevention benefits. In other words, the aim is to convert data and information into actionable intelligence. In many cases, however, this increase in data has not necessarily translated to an increase in knowledge. The structure of information handling processes within policing is not set up for the new millennium and ideas about intelligence management and dissemination from the 1970s still pervade the thinking and organizational culture of police agencies in the twenty-first century.

While many executives get access to crime analysis, sometimes through Compstat meetings or similar briefings, criminal intelligence is not integrated into the picture and executives make key decisions without access to all of the pertinent knowledge available within their organization. For much of the history of law enforcement, criminal intelligence—information that relates to the activities of criminal individuals or groups of offenders—was retained by specialized units or by individual detectives. Even with the introduction of intelligence units, these analytical groups often kept their information within the narrow confines of their specific unit. The focus of intelligence units was first and foremost on reactive, investigative support. This situation continues in most places today. For example, narcotics intelligence units do not share intelligence beyond their units, and street gang intelligence units do the same. In the new environment of intelligenceled policing, these information silos are too valuable as strategic resources for the whole police department to squander on the needs of an individual investigator or unit.

As we learn more about the abilities of organized crime groups to involve themselves in a range of criminal enterprises such as street crime, narcotics, human smuggling, and money laundering, it has become necessary to restructure law enforcement analytical services to better reflect this criminal environment. The risks are too high to stick with unit isolation and specialization out of simple bureaucratic convenience.

READ ON
http://www.cops.usdoj.gov/files/ric/Publications/integratedanalysis.pdf