Latest news with #NationalIntegratedBallisticInformationNetwork
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Yahoo
Inside look: New technology at Jeffco lab links shell casings to crimes across state
JEFFERSON COUNTY, Colo. (KDVR) — The Jefferson County Regional Crime Lab recently used hundreds of thousands of dollars in grant money to buy new technology that puts shell casings from crime scenes into a database, helping connect and solve cases. FOX31 got into the lab to see how it all works. 'I place the cartridge case in this holder,' Jefferson County Regional Lab Forensic Scientist Erin Mulligan explained during a demonstration. 'Inside the equipment, there are some light sources as well as the camera.' The 3-D images from this new lab equipment go into ATF's National Integrated Ballistic Information Network, known as NIBIN. Cartridge cases are entered from sites all around the country. Scientists can then search them against other cases in the system to try to link the casings to shooting scenes. 'This takes information for maybe two different crime scenes,' Brent Beavers, Special agent in charge for ATF's Denver Field Division said. 'It might be one has more information, one has less. You put it together. Investigators talk. Now there's an opportunity to solve crimes and prevent future ones.' According to ATF, 13,213 pieces of evidence were submitted to NIBIN in Colorado in 2024. The database generated 60.1% leads in the system for law enforcement to follow up on. For the 2025 fiscal year-to-date, 4,740 pieces of evidence have been submitted to the NIBIN database in Colorado, with 48.8% of casings generating leads. 'For Jefferson County, for metro Denver and the state of Colorado, this is a huge success to have this machine in place,' Beavers said. 'I think citizens will be safer because of it.' Looking at the data from April, the Jefferson County Crime Lab told FOX31 they were able to return results to local agencies, on average, 4.7 days after receiving a cartridge case in the lab. 'We're getting a lot more calls than, say, ten, 15 years ago,' Arvada Police PIO David Snelling said. 'We're finding a lot of shell casings. You can't always track suspects via cell phone video. When we can link them through this technology to the scene, it's incredible.' Arvada police shared a case from back in 2022, where the NIBIN database helped connect a suspect to two crimes. A suspect followed a victim in their car and shot at the victim's vehicle on 57th Ave. One of the bullets lodged in the rear seat headrest on the driver's side of the car. 'In the original case that we had in March of 2022, we never found a gun and so it was put together by shell casings,' Snelling said. Then, in 2023, DPD had a case where a suspect shot at a bar on Sheridan Boulevard. The casings found at that scene were connected to the case in Arvada. Through the NIBIN database and the investigative work, they were able to link the two cases together and identify a suspect. This year, the suspect pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 16 years in prison. 'The shell casing, it leaves an individual signature on that on that from the weapon,' Snelling said. 'So, this technology is absolutely amazing to be able to match 1 to 1.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Yahoo
CT convicted felon gets 8-year sentence after attempting dispose of gun and drugs during pursuit
A convicted felon has been sentenced to eight years in federal prison after he was found guilty of tossing a semi-automatic pistol, ammunition and baggies of narcotics during a police pursuit in New Haven in 2023 while he was on probation. Tyrick Warren, 31, of New Haven, was sentenced Tuesday by U.S. District Judge Kari A. Dooley in Bridgeport to 96 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release after pleading guilty to unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon, and possession with intent to distribute cocaine on May 14, 2024, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. Court records show that, on Nov. 15, 2023, officers from the New Haven Police Department arrested Warren after a short pursuit for violating the conditions of his state probation following a felony firearm conviction. During the pursuit, officers reportedly saw Warren discarding multiple items including a Glock semi-automatic pistol with an extended magazine that was loaded with 30 rounds of ammunition and a bag containing various plastic baggies of crack cocaine, cocaine, fentanyl, and marijuana, according to court records. Analysis conducted by the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network connected the pistol to shell casings that were collected following a shooting on Winchester Avenue in New Haven on Nov. 8, 2023, and a shooting on Hazel Street in New Haven on Nov. 12, 2023, court records show. 'It is alleged that text messages from Warren's phone further connected him to these two shootings, as well as a carjacking, robbery and shooting on Nov.10, 2023,' federal officials said. According to court records, Warren's criminal history includes convictions for robbery, drug and firearm offenses making it illegal for him to be in possession of a firearm or ammunition. Warren has been detained since his arrest. State charges against Warren related to the November 12, 2023, shooting are pending.
Yahoo
14-02-2025
- Yahoo
Aurora police say violent crime rate down in city
Aurora had only one homicide in 2024, which is the lowest rate since the city had none in 2012, city officials recently announced. That rate is also lower than Aurora saw both in 2022 and 2023, two years Aurora saw five homicides each, and represents a continued downward trend since 2019, when Aurora saw 12 homicides, according to city officials' presentation at a press conference at City Hall on Friday. There were also 68 shootings in 2024, which is a drop of 40% from last year, officials said during the presentation. 'These numbers aren't just statistics,' Aurora Police Chief Keith Cross said at the press conference. 'They represent families who didn't have to experience a loss, and a community that feels safer because they know they can count on us.' While police officials said that one homicide is still too many, the incident in 2024 is one that police have called a domestic homicide. That's important, according to Cross, because Aurora used to have around 20 homicides per year, most related to gangs or drugs. 'Back then, we struggled because we couldn't get information from the people we needed to get information from because of intimidation and other things, but our community got tired of being victimized. People started speaking out and sharing information,' Cross said. 'That's why I think there's an important distinction between what things were like back then and us being where we are now.' During the presentation, Mayor Richard Irvin praised the Aurora Police Department for its 'major progress' in crime rates and effective policing. Cross said the department's success is because of 'strategic planning, dedicated policing and a strong community partnership.' Community partnership is especially important to the department and is why the city has seen such a drop in violent crime, even more so than technology, he said. 'No system or software can replace the impact of a community that works alongside its police department. A cooperative witness can do far more for an investigation than any camera or database,' Cross said. That's why the department has put in so much effort to build relationships within the community both by spreading the philosophy of community policing throughout the department and by creating a dedicated community policing unit, according to Cross. It has not been an overnight process, but by engaging with the community and talking to people during the good times and the bad, community members are beginning to see police officers as more than just a uniform and are forming relationships so that, when something does happen, they already trust the police, he said. The Aurora Police Department also combats crime using technology and 'advanced investigative tools,' along with collaborations with other law enforcement agencies, according to Aurora Police Deputy Chief Matt Thomas. For example, he said the department participates in the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network, or NIBIN, which can compare bullet casings from different crimes to figure out if they came from the same gun. This sometimes helps police link firearms to multiple crimes across different cities, he said. The department does not just look at violent crimes as isolated incidents, but instead identifies patterns and repeat offenders to find those who are driving crime in Aurora, Thomas said. 'There's a small percentage of people who commit a large percentage of crimes, which is why our work doesn't stop after an arrest,' he said. In addition to combating violent crime, the Aurora Police Department is also focused on keeping the city's roads safe, especially through DUI, or driving under the influence, enforcement, according to Cross. He said the department made 351 DUI arrests in 2024, which is the fourth straight year the department has made over 300 of these arrests. 'These numbers represent lives saved and preventable tragedies avoided,' Cross said. The department has taken a strategic approach to traffic enforcement by using real-time data to focus on the intersections with the highest risk of crashes, tripling enforcement efforts in these areas, Thomas said. To support its efforts, the Aurora Police Department is growing, having gained seven officers and one lieutenant in 2024 and growing to the largest force in the department's history at 326 sworn officers, Cross said. Those efforts will continue into 2025 with plans to add eight new officers and two new sergeants, he said. While violent crime and traffic crashes are on the decline, property crime like car break-ins and shoplifting is on the rise, both in Aurora and across the nation, according to Thomas. He said during the press conference that the department is planning to take a 'strategic, intelligence-driven approach' to these types of crimes in 2025 like it has done with violent crime. After the press conference, Cross told The Beacon-News that the department is specifically planning to combine different existing units that currently sometimes work apart, such as the gang unit, the community policing unit and the patrol units, among others, to form a crime reduction team that works together and shares information to come up with ways to address the rise in property crime. The Aurora Police Department is also using heat maps to track burglaries and link analysis charts to find similarities between different crimes, which help to develop the department's action plans, Thomas told The Beacon-News. 'It's all intelligence-driving, data-driving, and we really believe that's the key to that success,' he said. rsmith@
Chicago Tribune
14-02-2025
- Chicago Tribune
Aurora police say violent crime rate down in city
Aurora had only one homicide in 2024, which is the lowest rate since the city had none in 2012, city officials recently announced. That rate is also lower than Aurora saw both in 2022 and 2023, two years Aurora saw five homicides each, and represents a continued downward trend since 2019, when Aurora saw 12 homicides, according to city officials' presentation at a press conference at City Hall on Friday. There were also 68 shootings in 2024, which is a drop of 40% from last year, officials said during the presentation. 'These numbers aren't just statistics,' Aurora Police Chief Keith Cross said at the press conference. 'They represent families who didn't have to experience a loss, and a community that feels safer because they know they can count on us.' While police officials said that one homicide is still too many, the incident in 2024 is one that police have called a domestic homicide. That's important, according to Cross, because Aurora used to have around 20 homicides per year, most related to gangs or drugs. 'Back then, we struggled because we couldn't get information from the people we needed to get information from because of intimidation and other things, but our community got tired of being victimized. People started speaking out and sharing information,' Cross said. 'That's why I think there's an important distinction between what things were like back then and us being where we are now.' During the presentation, Mayor Richard Irvin praised the Aurora Police Department for its 'major progress' in crime rates and effective policing. Cross said the department's success is because of 'strategic planning, dedicated policing and a strong community partnership.' Community partnership is especially important to the department and is why the city has seen such a drop in violent crime, even more so than technology, he said. 'No system or software can replace the impact of a community that works alongside its police department. A cooperative witness can do far more for an investigation than any camera or database,' Cross said. That's why the department has put in so much effort to build relationships within the community both by spreading the philosophy of community policing throughout the department and by creating a dedicated community policing unit, according to Cross. It has not been an overnight process, but by engaging with the community and talking to people during the good times and the bad, community members are beginning to see police officers as more than just a uniform and are forming relationships so that, when something does happen, they already trust the police, he said. The Aurora Police Department also combats crime using technology and 'advanced investigative tools,' along with collaborations with other law enforcement agencies, according to Aurora Police Deputy Chief Matt Thomas. For example, he said the department participates in the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network, or NIBIN, which can compare bullet casings from different crimes to figure out if they came from the same gun. This sometimes helps police link firearms to multiple crimes across different cities, he said. The department does not just look at violent crimes as isolated incidents, but instead identifies patterns and repeat offenders to find those who are driving crime in Aurora, Thomas said. 'There's a small percentage of people who commit a large percentage of crimes, which is why our work doesn't stop after an arrest,' he said. In addition to combating violent crime, the Aurora Police Department is also focused on keeping the city's roads safe, especially through DUI, or driving under the influence, enforcement, according to Cross. He said the department made 351 DUI arrests in 2024, which is the fourth straight year the department has made over 300 of these arrests. 'These numbers represent lives saved and preventable tragedies avoided,' Cross said. The department has taken a strategic approach to traffic enforcement by using real-time data to focus on the intersections with the highest risk of crashes, tripling enforcement efforts in these areas, Thomas said. To support its efforts, the Aurora Police Department is growing, having gained seven officers and one lieutenant in 2024 and growing to the largest force in the department's history at 326 sworn officers, Cross said. Those efforts will continue into 2025 with plans to add eight new officers and two new sergeants, he said. While violent crime and traffic crashes are on the decline, property crime like car break-ins and shoplifting is on the rise, both in Aurora and across the nation, according to Thomas. He said during the press conference that the department is planning to take a 'strategic, intelligence-driven approach' to these types of crimes in 2025 like it has done with violent crime. After the press conference, Cross told The Beacon-News that the department is specifically planning to combine different existing units that currently sometimes work apart, such as the gang unit, the community policing unit and the patrol units, among others, to form a crime reduction team that works together and shares information to come up with ways to address the rise in property crime. The Aurora Police Department is also using heat maps to track burglaries and link analysis charts to find similarities between different crimes, which help to develop the department's action plans, Thomas told The Beacon-News. 'It's all intelligence-driving, data-driving, and we really believe that's the key to that success,' he said.
Yahoo
30-01-2025
- Yahoo
CT felon sentenced to almost four years in prison for having gun tied to Hartford shooting
A previously convicted felon has been sentenced to almost four years in federal prison after authorities reportedly found him with a firearm that was tied to a shooting in Hartford. Osiris Muhammad, 24, of Hartford faced sentencing Wednesday in federal court in Hartford where a judge handed down a 46-month prison term followed by three years of supervised release, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Connecticut. Federal officials said Muhammad fired shots at someone in the area of Belden Street and Albany Avenue on Jan. 26, 2024, shortly after midnight. The intended victim was not struck. Two days later, Hartford police spotted Muhammad at a liquor store on Albany Avenue. He was taken into custody following a brief pursuit. Federal officials said Muhammad was found with a Ruger P89 pistol. An analysis of the firearm through the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network connected the gun to shell casings collected at the scene of the shooting days earlier, according to federal authorities. Last June, Muhammad pleaded guilty in federal court to unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon. According to federal authorities, Muhammad in 2020 was convicted on a state charge of first-degree robbery, disqualifying him from having guns or ammunition.
