Examining the impact of a crime gun intelligence center

Abstract

With gun crime on the rise, efforts to curb this form of violence have captured the attention of government agencies and police departments alike. One form of such efforts is the proliferation of Crime Gun Intelligence Centers (CGICs) in police departments across the country. However, with only three non‐peer‐reviewed evaluations of these CGICs to date, our understanding of their effectiveness is limited. The present study aims to fill this gap by examining the impact of the Phoenix Police Department's (PPD) CGIC on clearance rates and prosecutorial outcomes for gun crimes. The data for this study come from PPD’s Records Management System (RMS), computer‐aided dispatch (CAD) system, impounded evidence, National Integrated Ballistics Information Network (NIBIN) lead data, and arrest data. Prosecutorial data were supplied by the Maricopa County Attorney's Office (MCAO). This study examined pretest and posttest differences that occurred over the study period. Difference‐in‐difference (DID) models were calculated to assess the impact of the CGIC on the outcome measures of interest. We found that from the year prior to the CGIC to 2 years post‐CGIC, NIBIN inputs increased by 115%, NIBIN leads increased by 163%, timeliness of entry (of ballistics evidence) improved with 32% of processed items entered within 24–48 h in the second year of the CGIC compared with only 3% the year preceding the CGIC, and clearance rates for arrests increased significantly. These findings have implications for the continued adoption of CGIC, as well as the utility of NIBIN.

Beyond impunity: An evaluation of New York State's nonfatal shooting initiative

“…Evaluations of initiatives like those of Hartford, Kansas City, and Denver would be valuable additions to the existing body of evidence. Further evaluations of ongoing strategies to enhance the investigations of gun offenses, such as crime gun intelligence centers (e.g., Flippin et al., 2021; Novak & King, 2020), on not only the outcomes but also the processes of investigations, would be beneficial. It would be feasible to test the impact of potentially creative solutions to easing the burden of high caseloads, such as making greater use of crime analysts to complement the work of sworn investigators.…”

Intelligence and the Value of Forensic Science

“…Similarly to the aforementioned articles, some considerations of forensic intelligence propose systems for implementation, while other considerations are specific to areas of investigation. Earlier studies tended to be concentrated in a few areas of investigation, including DNA [34][35][36][37][38], drugs-controlled substances [39][40][41], or firearms and ballistics [42][43][44].…”

Interpol review of forensic management, 2019–2022

“…Houck (ibid) provides an integrated forensic intelligence model (IFIM) to demonstrate the possibilities. One demonstration is the successful integration of a strategy using a forensic intelligence model using a Crime Gun Intelligence Center (CGIC) in Phoenix, Arizona [ 60 ].…”