About BJA
BJA helps to make American communities safer by strengthening the nation's criminal justice system: Its grants, training and technical assistance, and policy development services provide state, local, and tribal governments with the cutting edge tools and best practices they need to reduce violent and drug-related crime, support law enforcement, and combat victimization.
BJA is a component of the Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice, which also includes the Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Institute of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, Office for Victims of Crime, and Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering, and Tracking.
About the Local Law Enforcement CGIC Initiative
The Local Law Enforcement Crime Gun Intelligence Center Integration (CGIC) Initiative, administered by BJA in partnership with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), is a competitive grant program that provides funding to state and local government entities that are experiencing precipitous increases in gun crime to implement comprehensive and holistic models to reduce violent crime and the illegal use of firearms within their jurisdictions by enabling them to integrate with their local ATF Crime Gun Intelligence Centers (CGICs).
The purpose of this initiative is to encourage local jurisdictions to work with their ATF partners to utilize intelligence, technology, and community engagement to swiftly identify firearms used unlawfully and their sources, and effectively prosecute perpetrators engaged in violent crime. Even if your jurisdiction does not receive CGIC grant funding, the NRTAC welcomes and encourages other agencies to participate in this initiative by requesting technical assistance. Grant funding has been awarded to the jurisdictions below:
Participating Cities
The cities, selected with input and coordination from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), are:
According to the New Mexico Vital Records, in 2013, the third leading cause of death for New Mexican children between the ages of one through eighteen was homicide with 74% of those occurring by a firearm. Children ages 0–19 are killed by guns at a rate almost 60 percent higher than the national average and are murdered by guns at almost 40 percent above the national average. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention, “Fatal Injury Data” – New Mexico is the 10th worst state for gun deaths and it has 14.6 gun deaths for every 100,000 people in the state in 2010 which is 40% higher than the national average of 10.3 gun deaths for every 100,000 people.
Albuquerque’s homicide rates have continued to increase over the past several years with a slight decrease only as recent as 2020. Figures 1-5 show the majority of homicides were committed in Albuquerque by a firearm.
Point of Contact
MARIA GARCIA-CUNNINGHAM, M.A.
Planning Manager, CIP/Grants/Property
Albuquerque Police Department
cabq.gov/police
Baltimore is the largest city in the state of Maryland. Gun violence and homicides have plagued the City of Baltimore for the last five years. To deal with the increase in gun violence and the numbers of homicide victims, the Baltimore Police Department (BPD) developed a strategy that incorporates proactive deployment of officers, the use of data-driven, evidence-based interventions, and community engagement. In the Western and Eastern Districts, the BPD has created Strategic Decision Support Centers (SDSCs) that follow the Chicago and Los Angeles police department models. These are hubs of data and technology where local commanders, officers, and analysts focus on identifying crime patterns, communicating and sharing information across the district, and creating daily patrol missions that target specific crime locations. Following this strategic step, focus was then placed on crime guns and violence associated with guns and seen as the next logical step in Baltimore’s strategy to reduce crime in the city.
To further the Department’s primary goal of reducing crime and violence, the City of Baltimore will improve and expand upon the Baltimore Crime Gun Intelligence Center (CGIC), a necessary component to BPD’s overall strategy. The CGIC business model established by other agencies across the country provided important lessons for Baltimore. Incorporating CGIC business practices will enhance collaborations and allow BPD to specifically target gun crime. Through this model Baltimore will enhance their ability to use actionable intelligence through leads from the National Integrated Ballistic Integration Network (NIBIN) and eTrace. Working with the ATF, BPD will follow up with crime gun investigations and work with the US Attorney’s Office (USAO) and the Baltimore State Attorney’s Office (SAO) to prosecute those offenders to the fullest levels possible. BPD’s Research Partner, Justice & Security Strategies, Inc. (JSS), will assist with data collection, analysis, and the process and impact evaluation of CGIC.
The CGIC concept, which has already been implemented citywide in Baltimore will be expanded upon to refine and strengthen the current business processes. There will be an extreme focus in the Eastern and Western Districts where Strategic Decision Support Centers have been firmly established and where data and technology are used routinely and ShotSpotter is a key component. BPD will work in concert with ATF and other key stakeholders to improve our current workflow process, as well as investigative process which includes patrol, NIBIN, case investigators, ATF Task Force Officers and Agents, analysts, and other BPD operational components. Improving Baltimore’s CGIC will strengthen existing relationships, provide the opportunity to train officers on the importance of the recovery of ballistic evidence, provide the opportunity to improve the analysis and use of ballistics data, and dramatically improve the efficiency and effectiveness of all ongoing efforts in Baltimore to disrupt the shooting cycle and reduce violent crime. The BPD’s current relationships with outside agencies will continue to be strengthened through evaluation, the implementation of MOUs, and the sharing of best practices and success stories achieved through CGIC partnerships thereby making the sustainability of the CGIC model attainable.
Point of Contact:
Jack Herzog
Lieutenant Colonel – Deputy Chief of Detective / Criminal Investigations Division
Baltimore Police Department
Phone: 410-396-2626 / 443-938-2661
John.herzog@baltimorecity.gov
In 2016, the Baton Rouge area experienced a summer full of turmoil, anguish and unrest. The city dealt with a police shooting and killing of a citizen, Alton Sterling, 11 days of protests following his death, a subsequent ambush of law enforcement that killed three Baton Rouge officers and finally, the area had a historic 1,000 year flood that dropped about two feet of rain in two days. The flooding left hundreds of thousands of homes damaged, thousands of people rescued by boat, and close to 100,000 people seeking refuge in shelters across the state.
The weeks and months following this traumatic summer began a chaotic and increasingly violent time in Baton Rouge. The violence that began in the final months of 2016, exploded in 2017, and has continued unabated in 2018. The BR-CGIC Initiative lead by East Baton Rouge District Attorney, intends to 1) promote timely identification, arrest, and prosecution of armed violent offenders and 2) promote interagency collaboration focused on timely collection, management and analysis of crime gun evidence through the expansion of existing partnerships and processes and the addition of CGIC Business Practices utilizing NIBIN and eTrace.
Point of Contact:
Jon Daily, CPA
Grants Manager
19th Judicial District Attorney
Main: 225-389-3400
Jon.daily@ebrda.org
ADA Steve Danielson
Section Chief
Crime Strategies Unit
19th Judicial District Attorney
Main: 225-389-3400
Steve.danielson@ebrda.org
The City of Chattanooga, located in Hamilton County, Tennessee, has a disproportionate amount of gun violence. Between the years of 2015 – 2019, 80% of gun violence occurred in 24% of the city (33sqmi). According to FBI UCR data, homicides per 100,000 residents have increased from 13.2 per 100,000 persons in 2015 to 19.94 per 100,000 persons in 2019. In contrast, the city has experienced a decrease in non-fatal shooting victims during that time frame. For instance, in 2015, Chattanooga had an aggravated assault with a firearm of 58.74 per 100,000 persons compared to 49.29 per 100,000 persons in 2019. Despite this downward trend, the gun violence within a city the size of Chattanooga appreciably exceeds the US average per 100,000 persons.
With funding through the BJA CGIC Initiative, the Chattanooga Police Department (CPD) seeks to 1) develop analytical support to improve police response to gunshots fired utilizing report management systems, eTrace, and additional technology; 2) collaborate with ATF to investigate likely shooting incidents by ensuring that every crime gun is submitted to the ATF National Tracing Center; 3) support and promote collaborative partnerships with multiple regional agencies to ensure effective prosecution of CGIC cases; and 4) ensure the sustainability of the CGIC through MOUs with partners and continuing education and outreach with future partners.
Point of Contact:
Sergeant Josh May
Organized Crime Unit / Gun Team
jpmay@chattanooga.gov
The City of Columbia, SC, is the capital and second largest city in the State of South Carolina. Although overall crime in the State has been decreasing, Columbia’s violent crime rate has averaged more than double the national average over the past decade. One of Columbia’s most pressing problems has been a precipitous increase in gun-related violence. From 2017 to 2019, murders committed with a firearm rose 128%, and the non-fatal shootings within our most challenging areas have also continued to increase since 2016.
In response to these increases in violent crime, the Columbia Police Department (CPD) leveraged our strong partnerships with area law enforcement, prosecutors and community stakeholders, to create initiatives aimed at identifying violent and repeat offenders and removing them from our communities. A large part of our strategy has been developing our intelligence processes, with an emphasis on crime-gun intelligence, to ensure that we are focusing our resources on the offenders who are impacting gun-related violent crime. In 2019, after CPD made improvements to our crime gun tracing and NIBIN processes, and acquired ShotSpotter gunshot detection technology in our most violent areas, we created a Crime Gun Intelligence Unit (CGIU). Our CGIU, which is comprised of CPD and ATF personnel, follows CGIC best practices and established workflow, to identify, analyze and investigate crime gun intelligence, with the goal of producing actionable intelligence (or “leads”) to assist in identifying, arresting and prosecuting offenders who unlawfully possess and/or use firearms, and identifying illegal sources for crime guns that are being used in our city.
Point of Contact:
James Modzelewski
Police Inspector – Criminal Investigations Division
Crime Gun Intelligence Unit
1 Justice Square, Room 232
Columbia, SC 29201
803-545-3505
James.Modzelewski@columbiasc.gov
In 2017, Detroit had the highest overall violence rate in cities of more than 100,000 residents for the 2nd year in a row even though its population has vastly decreased in the last 15 years. The overall violent crime rate in Detroit is approximately 6 times the national average and the robbery rate is approximately 20 times the national average. Detroit’s homicide rate of 43/100,000 residents was nine times the national average. As a result, the effect of violent crime is deeply felt in Detroit communities and is responsible for countless lost lives and decreased quality of life.
Detroit has made considerable progress in proactively addressing violent crime over the last few years through highly focused enforcement and prevention built upon a collaborative working group of strong law enforcement partnerships involving the Detroit Police Department (DPD), the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office (WCPO), The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the U.S. Attorney’s Office (USA), Michigan Department of Corrections (MDOC), and Michigan State University (MSU – Research Partner).
This Detroit based CGIC Initiative will focus mostly on hiring a Project Manager to oversee project implementation and a Crime Analyst who will monitor NIBIN hits/leads that are identified and conduct analytic work to make the intelligence actionable for investigators. 3 officers will be identified as Task Force Officers (TFO) who will be trained in NIBIN and participate in correlation and acquisition training. TFO officers will train additional DPD officers and DPD Crime Analyst on the determined investigative tool that will assist in conducting correlations that will offer leads to violent offenders. DPD will adhere to the best practices that are in place for the use of NIBIN.
Point of Contact:
Trisha Stein
Director of Administrative Operations
City of Detroit
Office of the Chief of Police
1301 Third Street, Suite 7S-751
Detroit, MI 48226
office: (313) 596-2918
steint@detroitmi.gov
The City of Henderson has a population estimate of 14,936 as of 2018. It is the only incorporated municipality in Vance County, North Carolina, and serves as the seat for county government, as well as the employment and retail center for the region. The City of Henderson experienced a 51% increase in violent crime from 2016 – 2018, and its homicide rate more than doubled since 2016. Firearm-related robbery increased from 2016-2018, and firearm-related aggravated assaults rose from 64 in 2016 to 98 in 2019. Due to this high level of firearm-related crime, and its relation to firearm-related crimes in the surrounding area, Henderson Police Department (HPD) is often the primary agency working with state and federal law enforcement partners in the region.
The Henderson Police Department seeks to enhance existing responses to gun crimes and develop new approaches to responding to gun crimes through the establishment of the North Central Piedmont Crime Gun Intelligence Center. HPD is the largest agency north of the Raleigh/Durham area and already has close working relationships with law enforcement agencies throughout the North Central Piedmont. Given the high cost of equipment and the existing relationships HPD has with regional agencies, HPD intends to serve as a regional hub for NIBIN entries to enhance cross-jurisdictional gun crime investigations and reduce violent crime in the region.
Point of Contact:
Sgt. Amanda Dance
Criminal Investigations Division
adance@hendersonncpd.org
The Houston Police Department (HPD) is charged with protecting 2.3 million (census 2017) residents. According to the Texas Uniform Crime Report (UCR) for 2018, Houston reported: 12,164 violent crimes; 4,403 robberies; 135 murders; and 7,032 aggravated assault. The City of Houston has been ranked as one of the deadliest places to live. In January of this year, CBS News published a list based on data from the Major Cities Chiefs Association Violent Crimes Survey that placed Houston fourth among 65 U.S. urban centers with the highest murder rates per capita. While these numbers are often debated, they reflect an urgent need to improve efforts to reduce violent crime in the community.
Houston leads the nation in commercial business robberies, bank, and armored car aggravated robberies (Associated Press, 2015). A large percentage of these robberies are committed by organized Houston street gangs that use funds acquired from these robberies to help fund their illegal weapons and Narcotics operations. Since the gangs have broadened and bolstered their operations, local street gangs have branched out to other states. Through texting applications, burner phones and social media, the new local street gangs have evolved into interstate enterprises that necessitate local agencies work with state and federal agencies on a daily basis.
In forming the Crime Gun Strike Force, the Partners agree to work cooperatively to timely collect, analyze, and use Crime Gun Intelligence, including the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN) and Firearm Tracing. The Strike Force will identify, investigate, and prosecute firearm violations and related crimes in order to solve violent crimes and remove guns used in criminal acts, violent offenders, and firearm traffickers from our streets. After recovering ballistic evidence, it will be taken by officers to the Houston Police Property Room where it will be immediately entered into NIBIN for immediate results.
Point of Contact:
Blake VanPelt
Blake.VanPelt@HoustonPolice.Org
2017 was the deadliest year on record for Indianapolis with 155 criminal homicides (136 were committed with a firearm), up from 148 in 2016, 148 in 2015,136 in 2014, and 129 in 2013. The Marion County Public Health Department has officially noted homicide as a public health concern. Additionally, nonfatal shootings incidents show a similar trend, increasing from 366 in 2014 to 438 in 2017. In 2017, Indianapolis/Marion County Police Department (IMPD) seized 2,800 guns that were associated with crimes, and over 1,700 guns were reported stolen in 2017. Indianapolis public safety leaders remain concerned because, while the rest of the nation’s homicide and violent crime rates are trending downward, Indianapolis is not following this trend – rather remaining steady or increasing in many violent crime categories.
In January of 2019, the ATF and IMPD officially launched the Indy CGIC. The Indy CGIC is an interagency collaboration focused on the immediate collection, management, and analysis of crime gun evidence. The Indy CGIC will identify linked criminal shooting events, investigate and identify repeat shooters, and build strong criminal cases against repeat shooters by using the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN) to identify shell casings and firearms from related crime scenes. The Indy CGIC will rely heavily upon the IMPD’s gun liaison program to ensure comprehensive forensic evidence recovery from firearms, ballistics, and shell casings at crime scenes to strengthen firearms prosecutions. The Indy CGIC will partner with other crime reduction initiatives such as the Indianapolis Violence Reduction Partnership (IVRP) to leverage additional resources and will utilize the ATF National Tracing Center and other crime gun intelligence to further their investigations. These investigations will result in the arrest and prosecution of repeat shooters, thereby disrupting the gun violence cycle, and ultimately reducing violent gun crime in Indianapolis.
Point of Contact:
Lt. Michael Bruin
Michael.bruin@indy.gov
Kansas City, MO, has a significant gun problem that jeopardizes the public health and well-being of its citizens. It has consistently struggled with violent crime, even though it is not among the nation’s largest metropolitan cities (FBI, 2014; 2015). Kansas City reported a 20% increase in aggravated assaults from 2014 to 2015 (KCPD Annual Report, 2015; InfoView Report, 2016), of those 25% were committed with a firearm. The number of aggravated assaults committed with a firearm in 2015 rose to 1190, nearly a 28% increase from 2014 (LERC, Aggravated Assaults, 2016). In an effort to focus resources, the Kansas City Police Department’s (KCPD) Law Enforcement Resource Center (LERC), in conjunction with the Midwest Crime Gun Intelligence Center (CGIC), has identified a “Hot Zone”, where a disproportionately high percentage of aggravated assaults and homicides involving a firearm as well as drive by shootings occur. The Hot Zone represents approximately 10% of the city, by area. In the past two years, 71% of all firearm-related aggravated assaults have occurred in the Hot Zone (LERC, Crime Map, 2016). In the past five years, nearly 76% of the homicides committed with a firearm and 77% of the recorded “drive-by shootings” occurred in the Hot Zone (LERC, Analysis of Drive-By Shootings, 2015; KCPD Homicide Analysis, 2014; KCPD Homicide Analysis, 2015).
Under the Kansas City Crime Gun Intelligence Center Initiative, the KCPD and CGIC partners will fully implement the CGIC process that is in line with the ATF Governing Board’s CGIC best practices. KCPD will increase the frequency of evidence collection from district stations for NIBIN entry, will assign KCPD investigators and ATF special agents to the CGIC; will improve lab analysis turnaround time; will increase collaboration with state and local prosecutors’ offices and parole and probation; will work with CGIC researchers to measure outcomes; and will leverage existing analytical capacities.
Point of Contact:
Captain Justin Kobolt
Law Enforcement Resource Center
Kansas City Missouri Police Department
Main: (816) 949-1677
justin.kobolt@kcpd.org
Although Little Rock, Arkansas is considered one of the greatest mid-sized cities in which to live (Kiplinger, Forbes, Brookings Institute), FBI statistics have shown Little Rock as ranked as the number one most dangerous city with a population under 200,000, in 2015 and 2016, falling to number 21 in 2018.
Little Rock, Police Department (LRPD) is a data driven agency that constantly reviews best practices in law enforcement to find solutions to problems. LRPD’s Crime Gun Intelligence Unit (CGIU) project goals are to:
1. Reduce violent gun crimes, with a focus on shootings in the 12th Street historical hotspot.
2. Increase timely actionable intelligence that links gun crimes to those involved.
3. Improve the collaborative effort among agencies involved in the arrest and prosecution. 4: Utilize social network analysis to develop focused deterrence to prevent gun crimes.
5. Improve communications/collaboration among patrol and detectives via expanded database access.
6. Evaluate the effectiveness of the CGIU.
Point of Contact:
Steve Woodall
Sergeant
Gun Crime Unit
swoodall@littlerock.gov
Despite years of decreases in violent crime, violent crime increased in Los Angeles from 2014 through April of 2016, by 14.3 % from 2013 through 2014 and by 21% from 2014 through 2015. Specifically, from January 1 to March 31, 2016, 185 people were shot, and over 38 people were killed in gun and gang violence. In 2015 and 2016, four divisions that make up only 17% of the city’s geographic population accounted for 34% of all violent crime in Los Angeles and 50% of its murders. In order to combat violent crime, the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) developed a strategy that incorporates community partnerships, proactive deployment of officers, and the use of data-driven, evidence-based tactics. The establishment of the Los Angeles Crime Gun Intelligence Center (CGIC) will greatly improve the existing strategy by focusing its efforts in the most violent area of the city, within the 77th Street Division.
Under the Los Angeles CGIC Initiative, the LAPD will work closely with its partners to reduce violent crime and gun crime, increase the production of timely and actionable information regarding violent crime, enhance collaboration among agencies in Los Angeles, and develop and implement Focused Deterrence to prevent gun-related crimes, among other goals. The LAPD will work with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the LAPD intelligence analyst, and the JSS research analyst to conduct NIBIN analysis, gun crime tracing, and identification and arrest of armed criminals. A focused deterrence team comprised of law enforcement and community-based organizations will identify prospective clients for call-ins and work together to prevent and mitigate criminal offending with a firearm. A team of prosecutors comprised of members of the USAO, Los Angeles City Attorney (LACA), and Los Angeles District Attorney (LADA) will develop an overall strategy and work with the LAPD to review arrests, determine filing items, and manage offender cases. Finally, LAPD’s research partner, Justice & Security Strategies, will work with the LA CGIC to evaluate the effectiveness of its efforts.
Point of Contact:
Commander Gerald Woodyard
Operations-South Bureau
Los Angeles Police Department
Main: (323) 786-5080
Gerald.woodyard@lapd.online
Memphis is plagued by gun violence. While the number of violent offenses in 2017 was 7.8% higher than in 2016, the number of violent gun offenses was 13.1% higher. During the first 3 months of 2018, violent offenses were 5.8% lower than during the same time in 2017, but violent gun offenses remained about the same. Most importantly, the proportion of violent crime committed with a firearm increased from 46.1% in 2016 to 48.4% in 2017. Comparing the proportion of violent crime committed with a firearm during the first quarter of 2018 to the same period in 2014, 2105, 2016, and 2017, it is at its highest level. In January-March 2018, 47.8% of all violent offenses were committed with a firearm, compared to 45.1% in 2017, 47.7% in 2016, 45.2% in 2015, and 45.5% in 2014.
Although existing entities and relationships have had measurable successes, Memphis still has a problem with gun violence. Having a CGIC on-site will strengthen these relationships, deepen collaborations, provide the opportunity to train officers on the importance of ballistics evidence, provide the opportunity to improve the analysis and use of ballistics data, provide the opportunity to integrate data from existing gun violence reduction programs, and dramatically improve the efficiency and effectiveness of all ongoing efforts in Memphis to reduce violent gun crime.
Point of Contact:
Major Darren M. Goods
MGU Operations Commander
3657 Old Getwell Road
Memphis, TN. 38118
Memphis Police Department
Main: (901) 395-6639
darren.goods@memphistn.gov
The City of Miami is a dense urban area of nearly 36 square miles with a population of 470,911. Approximately 32.3% of Miami families with children under the age of 18 live below the poverty level compared to 16.4% nationally (2010 US Census). As the largest municipality in the county and the second-largest city in the state of Florida, Miami experiences a chronically high level of crime, particularly gun violence. In response to Miami’s widespread gun violence, Miami Police Department implemented a NIBIN program and formed the Crime Gun Intelligence Detail in September 2019.
To enhance their gun violence reduction efforts, Miami’s goals under the grant funding are to: 1) implement a comprehensive digital evidence platform, 2) improve information sharing processes between CGIC stakeholders, 3) provide additional training to CGIC detail members, 4) prioritize investigative resources to focus on the most violent and prolific offenders, and 5) improve their low clearance rate for non-fatal shootings.
Point of Contact:
Sergeant Fabio Sanchez
Crime Gun Intelligence Detail
6266@miami-police.org
The city of Milwaukee has historically been afflicted with high levels of firearm violence, fed by a steady source of firearms from commercial retailers, gun shows, stolen firearms, and internet based selling platforms. Milwaukee suffered a 42% increase in total violent crime between 2011 and 2015, and has the second highest violent crime rate per 100,000 U.S. residents. In order to combat firearm violence, the Milwaukee Police Department (MPD) implemented the ShotSpotter gunshot location system, as well as embedded the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network within their Intelligence Fusion Center. In 2014, the MPD and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) entered into a collaborative effort to reduce gun violence through the creation of a Crime Gun Intelligence Center (CGIC).
Despite MPD’s significant efforts and progress towards implementing the ATF Governing Board’s CGIC model, more is needed to improve system deficiencies, increase operational capacity by NIBIN/CGIC focused personnel, and provide enhanced real-time comprehensive NIBIN leads to the Milwaukee CGIC Task Force, MPD personnel, and other partners. To this end, the Milwaukee CGIC Initiative will focus on personnel expansion, improving program infrastructure, overtime, crime analyst training, and community outreach focused deterrence programs, with the assistance of multiple partners. Collaboration among different agencies is key in this initiative, and partners include the ATF, U.S. Attorney’s Office, Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office, and the Wisconsin Department of Corrections. Research partners include the Police Foundation and George Mason University’s Center for Evidence-Based Crime Policy’s Dr. Christopher Koper, and these partners will work with CGICs to obtain data for effective performance measurement.
Point of Contact:
Lieutenant Patrick E. Fortune
Milwaukee Police Department
Intelligence Fusion Center
749 West State Street
Milwaukee, WI 53233
414-935-1200 (Office)
pfortu@milwaukee.gov
For its population size of 33,908, the City of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, has an inordinately high crime index compared to the national average. The city limits are roughly 10 miles long and 3 miles wide (23.7 square miles or 15,167 acres), with 10 miles of coastline beaches being the central attraction for tourism. The permanent population is 33,908 for Myrtle Beach, but each year, millions of tourists visit the city to enjoy various entertainment activities. The average daily population has been estimated to be in excess of 105,000. One of Myrtle Beach’s most pressing crime problems is gun-related violence. The number of shooting incidents committed has remained high (87 in 2017, 147 in 2018, and 118 in 2019), and MBPD’s gun seizures have remained steady each year (2017 - 333, 2018 - 420, 2019 - 380).
MBPD’s goals under the CGIC grant are as follows:
- Create a Major Crime and Intelligence Unit (MCIU) dedicated to using gun crime evidence through ballistics and forensic examinations to solve crimes.
- Acquire IBIS workstations to enable in-house NIBIN entries to improve the timeliness of leads.
- Serve as a regional resource for NIBIN submissions to improve the timeliness of leads and enhance cross-jurisdictional investigations.
Point of Contact:
Assistant Chief Marty Brown
mbrown@cityofmyrtlebeach.com
The City of New Haven has a population of 131,181. In 2019, the New Haven Police Department (NHPD) saw a precipitous increase in firearm-related crime. Gun arrests increased by 9% over 2018, and calls for service regarding gunfire increased 17% from 591 to 689. This spike follows a 36% decrease in violent crime from 2011 to 2018. UCR data show that New Haven experienced a 56% increase in the number of victims assaulted with firearms – 78 in 2019 versus 50 in 2018 (in 2017 there were 61, and 67 in 2016). During the same period, there was also a 19% increase in robberies with firearms, and confirmed shots fired increased by 49.5%, from 101 (2018) to 151 (2019).
Through a grant under BJA’s Local CGIC Integration Initiative, the NHPD seeks to:
- Support and sustain the weekly violent crime meetings of the Daily Intelligence Group at the Elm City Intelligence Center through overtime funding.
- Acquire and implement technology, such as Vigilant and i2, to enhance investigative and crime analysis capabilities.
- Provide comprehensive training to investigators and CGIC stakeholders, including non-governmental entities, on violent crime prevention strategies.
- Explore the expansion of gunshot detection technology into additional areas plagued by gun violence.
Point of Contact:
Assistant Chief Karl Jacobson
Investigative Services Division
kjacobson@newhavenct.gov
Palm Beach County (PBC) is home to an estimated 1.47 million residents and 8 million tourist visitors each year. PBC is an exceptionally diverse community, home to areas of unparalleled wealth juxtaposed by areas of abject poverty and disproportionate rates of violent crime. Socioeconomically depressed areas are home to a significant gang presence, with over 30 gangs identified as operating within PBC communities. Additionally, PBC is home to one of the highest numbers of suspected human trafficking cases in the country, and the county is inundated with illicit drugs. From 2017 – 2019, firearms were used in 49.6% of all homicides, robberies and aggravated assaults, and when examining only homicides, the rate of firearm use jumps to 82.59%, significantly higher than national rate of 72.6%. Moreover, there is a significant volume of nonfatal shootings each year, many of which result in gang-related retaliatory violence.
With BJA grant funding, the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office seeks to:
- Establish a collaborative PBC CGIC for strategic coordination and utilization of intelligence, technology, and community engagement to swiftly identify crime guns, their sources, and effectively prosecute perpetrators.
- Evaluate the effectiveness of the CGIC.
- Provide comprehensive training for CGIC stakeholders to more effectively investigate and prosecute gun crimes.
- Increase the capacity of local prosecutors to track and support CGIC cases.
Point of Contact:
Sergeant Rick McAfee
Violent Crimes Unit
mcafeer@pbso.org
The City of Phoenix has experienced a significant increase in violent crime over the past few years. Many of these violent crimes have resulted in homicides, aggravated assaults and robberies which generally have a firearm nexus. In order to address violent gun crime, the Phoenix Police Department (PPD) has worked closely with other agencies in the Phoenix area and has developed the Phoenix Metro NIBIN Program. This program incorporates 26 different agencies from around the state that enter their shell casing information into the PPD-based system. This collaborative approach facilitates cross-jurisdictional investigations of gun-related crimes and has been an extremely successful and productive program for all participating agencies. In order to enhance this and other existing strategies and to develop new gun crime reduction strategies, the Phoenix Police Department (PPD) and partners will establish a Phoenix Crime Gun Intelligence Center (CGIC).
The PPD will utilize the ATF Governing Board’s CGIC best practices by developing a workflow process/ investigative process that includes patrol, NIBIN, case detectives, the PPD Gun Squad and ATF operational manpower. In developing the CGIC, the PPD will form an Executive Steering Committee that will involve a broad collaboration that includes partners from the Phoenix Metro NIBIN program, county and federal prosecutors, community organizations, ATF subject matter experts and a research partner from the Arizona State University. These partners will develop processes and make them into protocols and policies to support the CGIC operations.
Point of Contact:
Mark Heimall
Lieutenant – Violent Crimes Bureau / Crime Gun Intelligence Unit
Phoenix Police Department
Phone: 602-534-5925
mark.heimall@phoenix.gov
In half of San Francisco’s ten police districts, 80% or more of homicides were by firearm, exceeding the national average of 68%. Gun violence is geographically concentrated in San Francisco, with just three police districts (Mission, Ingleside, and Bayview) accounting for more than 50% of all firearm homicides, and more than 60% of all crimes involving a firearm. The CGIC approach is ideal for addressing the regional, interconnected nature of firearms crime in San Francisco, and identifying, investigating, and prosecuting gun crime drivers to sustainably reduce gun violence. San Francisco proposes the implementation of CGIC practices and core principals citywide, building upon a close collaboration of the SFPD Investigations Division and District Attorney George Gascón’s Crime Strategies Unit (CSU), and emphasizing advanced strategic data analysis to address serial gun offenders and gun violence crime drivers.
Point of Contact:
Commander Greg McEachern
Bureau of Investigations
The Twin Cities Crime Gun Intelligence Center (CGIC) is led by the ATF St. Paul Field Division. Through strategic law enforcement, the Twin Cities CGIC focuses investigative resources on the people in the community committing the most serious and repeated acts of violence. Strengthened forensic evidence practices enable CGIC to link crimes, providing an opportunity to prevent retaliatory crimes.
While the Twin Cities CGIC is focused on gun violence across the region, the City of Saint Paul and key neighborhoods suffer disproportionately from violent crime. The Saint Paul Police Department (SPPD) is enhancing its evidence management practices and investing in gun detection software to ensure rapid processing and dissemination of gun crime evidence. The Twin Cities CGIC currently includes participation of key law enforcement partners including the ATF, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) and the Minneapolis Police Department (MPD) and SPPD. MPD and SPPD are the two largest law enforcement agencies in Minnesota, representing the inner core jurisdictions of the Twin Cities. There are highly active prosecutorial agencies supporting the work of the CGIC, with SPPD and the east metro primarily working with the USAO and the Ramsey County Attorney’s Office (RCAO).
SPPD works with its local prosecutorial partner, the RCAO, -to enforce accountability through a data-driven response. SPPD is committed to and has implemented several essential elements of the CGIC model, comprehensive collection of evidence, timely processing, lead notification, prioritization of leads, and investigative follow-up. SPPD is fully committed to using the NIBIN system.
Point of Contact:
Carol Gronfor
Grants Manager
St. Paul Police Department
Phone: (651) 266-5544
carol.gronfor@ci.st.paul.mn.us
Narcotic and gang related firearm violence is an ongoing problem in the City of Tampa. Even though Tampa has made significant progress in reducing violent crime, there are still persistent ‘micro-spot’ locations that disproportionally experience gun violence. Based on preliminary UCR statistics, there has been a 35% increase in firearm related offenses between 2018 and 2019 in a three-square mile area in the eastern section of the city. The majority of these incidents were directly related to a significant increase in narcotic activity, which is attributed to the opioid crisis, price reductions in heroin, cocaine, and methamphetamine, and the return of open-air drug markets. There is also significant correlation between these illicit narcotics sales and violent gang activity. Narcotic and gang violence poses an ongoing and significant problem for some areas in Tampa with consequences that spill over into surrounding jurisdictions.
Through this project, Tampa Police Department aims to achieve the following:
Objective 1. Reduce firearm crimes and gang violence by 5-10% over a three-year period through CGIC driven investigations.
Objective 2. Increase the number of successful prosecutions of Violent Impact Players through increased coordination with both local and federal prosecutors.
Objective 3. Increase and improve the use of data through the CGIC partnership to monitor trends and patterns in gun and gang crime within violent hot spots.
Point of Contact:
Paul Lusczynski
Police Captain -Violent Crime Bureau
411 N. Franklin Street
Tampa, FL 33602
813-276-3355
Paul.lusczynski@tampagov.net
Toledo, Ohio, was selected as a site for the U.S. DOJ’s National Public Safety Partnership Program (PSP) in 2017 due to the city’s high violent crime rate (VCR). Between 2014 and 2018, PSP found Toledo’s average VCR was nearly 200% above the national average and 47% above U.S. cities with populations between 250,000 and 499,000. Much of the violent crime was found to be gun related, which made implementation of a Crime Gun Intelligence Center (CGIC) one of the top goals in Toledo’s PSP Strategic Plan. In July 2018, with the help of ATF, the Toledo Police Department (TPD) received a BrassTRAX system to enable the agency to process its own NIBIN entries (in addition to some surrounding agencies). One year later, the department implemented gunshot detection technology to cover 4 square miles of the most violent areas in Toledo.
Under the FY2020 CGIC grant funding, TPD’s goals are to: 1) Enhance current CGIC processes and partnerships, 2) add a full-time, dedicated NIBIN technician to the CGIC task force to manage acquisitions and correlations, 3) add a full-time analyst to the CGIC task force to support intelligence analysis and NESS data management, and 4) develop a case management system to support NIBIN case assignment and investigation.
Point of Contact:
Deputy Chief David Mueller
Investigative Services Division
David.Mueller@toledo.oh.gov
The City of Tulsa has been ranked as one of the most dangerous cities in the United States. In January of 2018, CBS News published a list based on data from the Major Cities Chiefs Association Violent Crimes Survey that placed Tulsa at 12th among 61 U.S. urban centers with the highest murder rates per capita. While rankings are often debated, they reflect an urgent need to improve efforts to reduce violent crime in the community.
The upward trend in violent gun crime emphasizes the need to change current processes to improve effectiveness in reducing violent crime. Short-term task forces were used to address violent crime within the city limits, but long-term and broader approaches are needed. The Tulsa Police Department is committed to adopting modern strategies that address crime trends and technology advancements.
Point of Contact:
Tara Brians
Laboratory Director
City of Tulsa PD Forensic Laboratory
Over the past two years, Washington, DC has experienced an increase in the proportion of gun-related violent crime.* Between 2014 and 2015, homicides in the city increased by 54 percent. While the number of homicides declined in 2016 when compared to 2015, the proportion of gun-related homicides continues to rise. In 2014, firearm-related homicides comprised 69 percent of all homicides and in 2015, 76 percent of all homicides were associated with guns. That number increased to 78 percent in 2016. These gun crimes are concentrated in several neighborhoods in the District, impeding development in these areas even while other parts of the city experience an economic boom.
A major contributing factor to gun crime in Washington, DC is the availability of guns in surrounding jurisdictions. An ATF report on firearms recovered and traced in Washington, DC shows that in 2014, more than 50 percent of guns recovered in the District with known source states were traced back to Maryland or Virginia.** Less than five percent of guns recovered in Washington, DC originated in the District.
Under the Washington, DC Crime Gun Intelligence Center (CGIC) Initiative, the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) will work closely with local and federal partners, including the DC Department of Forensic Sciences (DFS), the United States Attorney’s Office (USAO), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and surrounding jurisdictions to target and reduce gun crime. CGIC partner agencies will work to:
- Ensure the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN) and eTrace databases contain comprehensive data;
- Coordinate investigations that span jurisdictional boundaries;
- Mitigate intelligence gaps among agencies; and
- Facilitate violent crime investigations and prosecutions, among other objectives.
To achieve these objectives, executive partners, including senior managers from the MPD, DFS, USAO, and ATF, will meet to discuss the status of NIBIN and CGIC operations and end user needs on a quarterly basis. Tactical team partners, including ATF and MPD enforcement groups, will conduct the daily operations of the CGIC. Research partners will coordinate with CGIC analysts to obtain the appropriate data for effective performance measurement. MPD serves as the lead agency for the CGIC initiative, with continued support from the ATF, DFS, PGPD, High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA), and USAO.
*Violent crime is defined as homicide, assault with a dangerous weapon (ADWs), and robbery.
**Source: https://www.atf.gov/about/docs/report/district-columbia-firearms-trace-data-%E2%80%93-2014/download
Point of Contact:
Heidi Fieselmann
Executive Office of the Chief of Police
Metropolitan Police Department
Main: (202) 727-9318
heidi.fieselmann@dc.gov
The Wichita (KS) Police Department (WPD) is the primary law enforcement provider for the City of Wichita (COW). Over the past five years, the COW has experienced precipitous increases in gun-related violence. The rising trend in violent gun crime emphasizes the need to change current processes to improve effectiveness in reducing violent crime. Recognizing the need for change, the WPD has been proactively implementing new policies and procedures to combat violent crime. These initiatives have included new advances in gunshot detection technology and a public safety initiative for Operation Save-A-Casing, where citizens of Wichita are encouraged to save two (2) spent firearm casings from their firearm. If their firearm is ever stolen, the citizen is encouraged to turn over their casings to law enforcement to be analyzed within the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN).
The Wichita Crime Gun Intelligence Center (WCGIC) Task Force coordinated by the WPD will involve several significant partners to include federal, state, and local entities. In addition to the core task force members, the Task Force has commitments from other federal, state, local agencies to include FBI, DEA, probation and parole, social service providers, and community groups. WPD will take necessary actions to expand its Crime Gun Intelligence Center (CGIC) efforts. Continuous monitoring and statistical analysis will be made to solidify the program through changes to WCGIC policies, procedures, and operations. WPD will continue to build upon current partnerships and coordination with state and federal prosecutors.
Point of Contact:
Clay Germany
Captain
Wichita Police Department
Phone: (316) 268-4407
cgermany@wichita.gov
The City of Winston-Salem, North Carolina is the fourth largest city in the state and is located in the heart of West Central North Carolina. The City has a growing population of over 240,000 residents living in 133 square miles of Forsyth County.The City is home to seven local colleges and universities including Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem State University, and the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. The Winston-Salem Police Department (WSPD) is the primarylaw enforcement agency in the area, with an allocation of560sworn officers and 175non-sworn personnel to provide law enforcement services to this community. The agency delivers high-quality services to the citizens of the City through its long-standing foundational philosophy of Community-Oriented/Problem-Oriented Policing (COP/POP). The Winston-Salem Police Department is committed to addressing the precipitous increase in gunfire violence within the city through a comprehensive gun violence reduction strategy. Through the CGIC project, the first step in the strategy is the creation of a Violent Firearm Investigations Team (VFIT) consisting of members of the Winston-Salem Police Department (WSPD), Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office (FCSO), and the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms & Explosives (ATF). The second component in the gun violence reduction strategy involves the comprehensive and timely processing of all forensic evidence related to violent gunfire incidents. The third component to the gun violence reduction strategy proposes the implementation of a gunfire detection system (the focus of this grant application) within a 3-square mile area of the city as part of the overall strategy to address the precipitous increase of gunfire violence within the city.
Point of Contact:
John Leone
Lieutenant
Office of the Chief of Police
Winston Salem Police Department
jleone@wspd.org