Submit Crime Gun Ballistics
Approach Ballistic evidence plays a critical role in preventing, investigating, and prosecuting gun crimes. Evidence such as spent cartridges or fired bullets collected from a crime scene can be used to link a specific weapon to the crime, and at a broader level, comparing ballistic evidence collected from multiple crime… Read More
Develop investigative leads by submitting ballistic evidence to the FBI’s National Integrated Ballistic Information Network for analysis.
Mayor’s Office of Gun Violence Prevention
Approach Cohesion across key stakeholders and strategies is particularly important to ensuring city gun violence prevention, and Mayor’s Offices of Gun Violence Prevention can play a key role in this. Commissioned by a Mayor, these offices coordinate, develop, and uplift gun violence prevention efforts occurring across the city. Important first… Read More
Establish a centralized office to coordinate key stakeholders and strategies to effectively and sustainably reduce gun violence.
Track Gun Violence
Approach Cities generate data about gun crime and violence within their boundaries daily, including the characteristics of gun violence victims and perpetrators, the types of guns recovered by law enforcement, and case dispositions that may prohibit an individual from possessing a firearm. Cities have continually demonstrated that establishing a robust… Read More
Collect and analyze fatal and non-fatal shooting data to monitor gun violence, target resources, and inform policy and program decisions.
Trace Every Crime Gun
Approach Firearms tracing, which involves tracking the movement of a gun recovered by law enforcement from its first sale by the manufacturer to its first retail purchaser, is a key strategy for addressing gun violence.1Crime Gun Intelligence Centers, “Crime Gun Tracing,” accessed June 19, 2019, … Read More
Develop investigative leads by submitting every crime gun to the ATF’s National Tracing Center for analysis.
Early Intervention Systems
Approach Law enforcement agencies across the nation are implementing data-driven solutions to identify officers at high risk of problematic behavior, before it occurs. One solution being used by law enforcement to address use-of-force issues and officer-involved shootings is a data-based personnel management tool called an Early Intervention System. An EIS… Read More
Implement systems to identify officers at-risk of engaging in improper conduct or excessive use of force and address behaviors.
Crime Gun Intelligence Centers
Approach A Crime Gun Intelligence Center (CGIC) is a model for reducing gun violence through multiagency (local and federal) collaboration focused on using various technologies to collect, manage, and analyze crime gun evidence in real time. A CGIC’s goal is to expedite the processing of this data in order to identify… Read More
Establish multi-agency law enforcement partnerships to collect, analyze, and manage evidence related to guns used in crimes.
NICS Denials Investigations
Approach The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) is used by firearm background check examiners, either at the FBI or, in some states, by agencies known as points of contact, to determine whether a prospective buyer is eligible to purchase a firearm.1… Read More
Investigate background check denials to identify individuals who may be at-risk of committing violence.
Multi-Discipline Homicide & Shooting Incident Reviews
Approach While many police agencies make it a regular practice to review gun-related homicides and non-fatal shootings internally and to form violence prevention strategies based on this information (i.e., CompStat and similar practices), expanding this practice to include organizations outside of the policing or criminal justice field can be beneficial. Read More
Convene stakeholders to review homicide and shooting incidents and develop intervention and prevention strategies.
Open Data and Transparency
Approach The transparency created by open data promotes co-ownership of gun violence reduction with community members. To promote these principles, many agencies have increasingly begun sharing open data with the public.1National Police Foundation, “Police Data Initiative,” accessed June 13, 2019, https://www.policedatainitiative.org/; Laura Neitzel, “How Police Can… Read More
Share law enforcement and city data with the community to build trust and improve community-based services.