FBI Top Stories: 30-Year-Old Murder Solved

Fingerprint Technology Played Key Role

A cold case is just that—an investigation of a crime, usually a violent one, where all leads have been exhausted and the trail has gone cold. But in recent years, the use of various technologies has begun heating up many of these cold cases, uncovering new leads for investigators and providing justice for victims.

One immediate technology example that comes to mind is automated fingerprint searching—more precisely, searches of latent prints of violent unknown perpetrators left at crime scenes. The FBI’s Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System (IAFIS), which houses known records for approximately 73 million criminal subjects, is used daily by local, state, tribal, and international law enforcement for current cases, but increasingly for help in solving cold cases as well. And once a year, the Bureau’s Criminal Justice Information Services Division recognizes an outstanding major case solved with help from IAFIS.

The 2012 Latent Hit of the Year Award was presented last month to two employees of the Omaha Police Department—Detective Douglas Herout and Senior Crime Laboratory Technician Laura Casey—for their efforts to identify the man responsible for a brutal murder more than 30 years ago.

The crime: In 1978, 61-year-old Carroll Bonnet was stabbed to death in his apartment. Police collected evidence, including latent fingerprints and palmprints from the victim’s bathroom (officers believed the killer was trying to wash off blood and other evidence before leaving the apartment). The victim’s car was then stolen.

The investigation: The car was found in Illinois, but after collecting additional latent prints, investigators couldn’t develop any new leads. The crime scene evidence was processed, and latent prints recovered from the scene and the car were searched against local and state fingerprint files. Investigators also sent fingerprint requests to agencies outside Nebraska, but no matches were returned and the case soon went cold.

The re-investigation: In late 2008, the Omaha Police Department received an inquiry on the case, prompting technician Laura Casey to search the prints against IAFIS (which didn’t exist in 1978). In less than five hours, IAFIS returned possible candidates for comparison purposes. Casey spent days carefully examining the prints and came up with a positive identification—Jerry Watson, who was serving time in an Illinois prison on burglary charges.

The case was officially re-opened and assigned to the cold case squad’s Doug Herout. Working with laboratory technicians and analysts, Herout reviewed the original evidence from the case, including a classified advertisement flyer with “Jerry W.” scribbled on one of the pages. Herout also discovered that Jerry Watson had lived only a few blocks from where the victim’s car was recovered.

And the discovery was made just in time—Watson was just days away from being released from prison.

Herout traveled to Illinois to question Watson and presented him with an order to obtain a DNA sample. Subsequent testing determined that Watson’s DNA matched DNA recovered at the crime scene, a finding that—combined with Watson’s identified prints—resulted in murder charges and a conviction. On October 17, 2011—33 years to the day that Bonnet’s body was discovered—his killer was sentenced to life in prison.

It’s yet another example of the vital role that technology plays in getting dangerous criminals off our streets.

The Latest on Latents

Latent prints are impressions—usually invisible to the naked eye—often left at crime scenes that are produced by the ridged skin on human fingers, palms, or soles of the feet. The FBI’s IAFIS receives an average of 700 latent search requests per day from authorized law enforcement agencies…with an average response time of one hour.

Our Next Generation Identification system, an incremental replacement of today’s IAFIS, will specifically focus on the latent user community next March when a National Palmprint System (NPPS) is scheduled to be established. The NPPS will create a centralized repository of known palmprints within the FBI’s database, allowing searches of unknown palmprints against the repository…as well as searches of known palmprints against the Unsolved Latent File. Both types of searches will enhance law enforcement’s ability to identify criminal and terrorist suspects.

Jury Convicts Pembroke Man of Two Kidnappings

STATESBORO, GA—Antonio Lamont Murray, 38, from Pembroke, Georgia, was convicted yesterday by a federal jury after a three-day trial for his role in two separate kidnappings that occurred in the Bryan County area. The trial was held before Senior U.S. District Court Judge B. Avant Edenfield.

United States Attorney Edward J. Tarver stated, “The kidnappings committed by this defendant and others were violent and brazen acts. Because of timely action by the FBI and its partners in the law enforcement community, the United States Attorney’s Office was able to prosecute those responsible for these outrageous acts. The United States Attorney’s Office has no higher priority than protecting U.S. citizens.”

Brian D. Lamkin, Special Agent in Charge, FBI Atlanta Field Office, stated, “This defendant was part of an orchestrated kidnapping crew which required and received the full attention of the community’s surrounding law enforcement effort. While the FBI is very proud of the role that it played in getting this defendant and his cohorts off of the streets and into the federal criminal justice system, this was truly an example of the area’s many law enforcement agencies working long hours together to ensure the public’s safety.”

The evidence presented during trial revealed that Murray and others conspired to commit two separate kidnappings in the Bryan County area in late 2011 and early 2012. The first kidnapping occurred on December 1, 2011. During this incident, the victim was abducted at gunpoint and later released only after a ransom was paid. The second kidnapping occurred on January 12, 2012. The second victim was also abducted at gunpoint and released only after a ransom was paid. Murray’s DNA was found in the home of one of the victims. Witnesses also identified Murray’s voice from the recorded ransom telephone calls.

Before trial, Cecil Dewitt Nelson, 32, and Gary Lenion McDonald, 35, each pled guilty to their role in the two kidnappings. McDonald testified against Murray at trial; he was one of 30 witnesses called by the United States.

Murray was convicted of conspiracy to commit kidnapping, two kidnappings, three firearm charges, and obstruction. Nelson and McDonald each pled guilty to conspiring to commit kidnapping. The conspiracy charge alone carries a maximum penalty of life in prison. In addition, Murray faces a 57-year consecutive sentence on his three firearm convictions. Each of the three defendants remain in custody pending their sentencings, which will be scheduled by Judge Edenfield after the U.S. Probation Office conducts a presentence investigation.

The convictions of Murray, Nelson, and McDonald resulted from a joint investigation by the FBI, the U.S. Marshals Service, NCIS, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, the Georgia State Patrol, the Bryan County Sheriff’s Office, the Tattnall County Sheriff’s Office, the Bulloch County Sheriff’s Office, the Liberty County Sheriff’s Office, the Richmond Hill Police Department, the Pooler Police Department, the Pembroke Police Department, and the Hinesville Police Department.

Assistant United States Attorneys Brian T. Rafferty and Carlton R. Bourne, Jr. prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States. For additional information, please contact First Assistant United States Attorney James D. Durham at (912) 201-2547.

From Missing Person to Murder Victim

Strong Partnerships Help Solve Rural Tennessee Case

When the missing person report was filed for Rose Goggins, a 21-year-old mother who lived with her fiancé’s parents in rural Tennessee, the response was immediate: local police, firefighters, rescue squads, and volunteers began an intensive search using floodlights and bloodhounds. Along the banks of the Tennessee River on that cold night in January 2010 where the search was concentrated, it looked like a military encampment.

It was Goggins’ fiancé’s father—the grandfather of her 11-month-old son—who called in the missing person report. But officers from the Wayne County Sheriff’s Department soon began to doubt Steven Beersdorf’s story. At the request of local authorities, our agent on the scene called in the FBI’s Evidence Response Team (ERT) from our Memphis office to conduct a different kind of search.

Working in the cold and snow with local law enforcement, ERT members found flesh and small bone fragments, including a palm-sized piece of skull, on the Beersdorf property, providing critical clues that Goggins was not missing, but had been murdered—while her fiancé, a National Guard reservist, was training in Mississippi for deployment to Iraq.

 “Beersdorf took extraordinary steps to dispose of the body,” said Special Agent Brian Fazenbaker, who works out of our Memphis office and covers eight southern counties in Middle Tennessee. It was the painstaking work of ERT members that helped move the investigation forward, “but more than anything,” Fazenbaker added, “this case is a classic example of how local, state, and federal agencies work together to solve cases, each providing their own expertise.”

In this case, ERT’s highly trained members provided the evidence, and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation used it to identify Goggins’ remains through a DNA match. The FBI also provided a victim specialist to work with members of Goggins’ family who lived out of state.

 “I encourage all law enforcement agencies here to work together,” said Mike Bottoms, district attorney general for the 22nd Judicial District of Tennessee, who prosecuted the Goggins case. “In a rural area, you have to work together because out here, no one is completely self-sufficient.”

 “Investigations can be different in rural settings,” Fazenbaker added. “You might be 120 miles from your office, and you have to depend on your local partners—and you know they are depending on you.”

A few days after the missing person report, Beersdorf and his wife were arrested and charged with first-degree murder. Beersdorf later confessed to strangling Goggins. There had been friction in the house, Beersdorf told investigators, and on that January day it spilled over into a fight that cost Goggins her life. Last March, rather than stand trial, the couple pled guilty. Beersdorf was sentenced to life in prison. His wife, who did not participate in the murder, received a 15-year sentence.

 “The FBI was extremely helpful in this investigation,” said Bottoms. “When the Bureau gets involved in a case like this,” he added, “it’s not just for the three or four days of searching and evidence gathering. It’s also a commitment to attend court hearings and participate in a trial if it comes to that.”

Fazenbaker noted that agents working in rural resident agencies “pretty much handle whatever cases come in the door. Out here in these small communities,” he said, “we are proud of the fact that we can really make a difference.”

Wichita Man Pleads Guilty to Brandishing Firearm During Bank Robbery

WICHITA, KS—A Wichita man has pleaded guilty in connection with an armed bank robbery in 2010, U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said.

David L. Hollis, III, 29, Wichita, Kan., pleaded guilty to one count of brandishing a firearm during a Dec. 1, 2010, robbery at Equity Bank in Wichita. In his plea, he admitted he was one of three men who entered the bank with their faces covered and wearing hooded sweatshirts. Two of the men were brandishing firearms. They collected money from tellers’ drawers and the bank’s vault before fleeing in stolen cars.

The robbers drove to an apartment complex at 5400 E. 21st, where they stopped their car and fled on foot. Officers followed Hollis into Building 12, where they arrested him. They recovered items of clothing Hollis had hidden in a fire extinguisher box. Investigators matched Hollis to DNA found on a Bersa handgun in one of the getaway cars. There was dye from an exploded security dye pack on his shirt.

Sentencing is set for Feb. 15. Prosecutors will ask for a sentenced of 84 months in federal prison.

Co-defendants include:

■Shelan D. Peters, who was sentenced to 97 months. Peters was shot during the chase after the bank robbery.

■Raymond L. Rogers, who is on trial this week in U.S. District Court in Wichita.

Grissom commended the Wichita Police Department, the FBI, Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron Smith, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Lanny Welch for their work on the case.

Convicted Burglar Pleads Guilty to Invading Two Homes, Sexually Assaulting Women Who Had Been Sleeping

Defendant Was Linked to the Crimes by DNA Evidence

WASHINGTON—George Clowers, 24, of no fixed address, pled guilty today to breaking into two homes in Northwest Washington and sexually assaulting the women who had been sleeping inside the residences, announced U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr., James W. McJunkin, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, and Cathy L. Lanier, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

Clowers pled guilty in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia to two counts of first degree sexual abuse. The Honorable William M. Jackson scheduled sentencing for October 7, 2011. Clowers, who previously had been convicted of burglary, faces up to 60 years in prison on the sexual abuse charges. He is required to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.

According to the government’s evidence, which was presented at the plea hearing, the first of the crimes took place about 4:30 a.m. on July 24, 2007 inside a residence in the 900 block of P Street NW. Clowers broke into the home while the female resident was sleeping. He ate some of her food and drank some of her beer. Then he went into her bedroom and spit beer in the victim’s face to incapacitate her. He threatened to kill her and he physically and sexually assaulted her. She was ultimately able to escape and notified a security guard at a nearby store.

The second attack took place about 3:30 a.m. on April 6, 2009. This time, Clowers broke into a home in the 1500 block of Marion Street NW. Once again, he went into the bedroom of a female resident. He blinded her with a flashlight and threatened her. He sexually assaulted her and stole numerous items from her, including a cellphone. After he left, she notified the police.

In another case, Clowers pled guilty in 2009 to a charge of first degree burglary stemming from another house break-in that took place on April 21, 2009. Following his arrest in that matter, he was linked by DNA to the 2007 attack on P Street NW. Additionally, he was linked by DNA and cellphone records to the crime on Marion Street NW.

In announcing today’s plea, U.S. Attorney Machen, Assistant Director McJunkin and Chief Lanier praised the entire team that worked on the investigations, including the FBI/MPD Violent Crimes Task Force. They also commended the lead Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) detectives—Sexual Assault Unit Detectives Ingrid Harkins, Wallace Carmichael, Yvette Maupin, and Wandella Fields—who worked on the cases. They cited the thorough work of the many Mobile Crime Officers who worked on the cases, including Ralph Nitz, Dawn Leory, Leother Strong, Stanley Remish, Julius Smith, Sgt. D.J. Hayes, James Holder, John Holder, and J.P. Gregory. They also praised the efforts of patrol officers who assisted with the investigations, including Officers Monica Agusti, Matthew Romeo, Tia Hymes, Ryan Kolb, Adam Johnston, and Anton Patterson, of the Third District.

U.S. Attorney Machen, Assistant Director McJunkin and Chief Lanier also commended the efforts of the Special Agents from the FBI’s Washington Field Office, who provided assistance to the identification and apprehension of the defendant and performed post-arrest investigatory work. They acknowledged the work of those who handled the case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including intelligence specialist Lawrence Grasso, who assisted with virtually all aspects of the investigation. In addition, they recognized the help Victim Witness Advocate Melissa Milam gave to the victims. They also thanked paralegal Joyce Arthur and Legal Assistant Ashley Patterson. Finally, they recognized Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sharon Marcus-Kurn and Michelle Zamarin, who investigated the cases, and Sharon Marcus-Kurn who is prosecuting the case.

Federal Jury Finds Suffield Man Guilty of Robbing Berlin Bank

David B. Fein, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that a federal jury in Hartford has found LUIS SOTO, 51, of Suffield, guilty of bank robbery. The trial began on April 28, and the jury returned its verdict today after deliberating for approximately four hours.

According to the evidence presented during the trial, on July 25, 2008, LUIS SOTO and his brother, Felix Soto, dressed in dark clothes and stocking masks and armed with handguns, entered the Webster Bank at 40 Webster Square Road in Berlin, ordered patrons and employees to the ground, and robbed the bank of approximately $40,000. Witness testimony and video surveillance showed that during the course of the approximately three-minute robbery, Felix Soto continuously issued threats and pointed handguns at patrons, while LUIS SOTO leapt over the teller counter and forced a teller to empty cash into his duffle bag. Both LUIS SOTO and Felix Soto then ran out of the bank, through a wooded path next to the bank, and then into a getaway car parked on the side of Route 9, just short of the Mill Street exit.

The evidence also showed that LUIS SOTO and Felix Soto recruited two others to place separate "hoax" 911 calls that diverted police resources to a supposed home invasion in another part of Berlin.

In addition to witness testimony, the government offered extensive forensic evidence, including a hat and stocking mask that contained DNA from Felix and LUIS SOTO, as well as approximately $5,000 in stolen money, which were recovered by the Berlin Police along the escape route.

The government also presented cellular phone evidence, including reports of forensic examination of phones belonging to LUIS SOTO and Felix Soto, as well as call records and cell site data. The government presented the testimony of an expert in cellular site technology who used these cell site records to produce maps and charts showing that the participants in the robbery called one another extensively around the time of the robbery, while utilizing cellular towers within a short distance from the Webster Bank.

Chief United States District Judge Alvin W. Thompson has scheduled sentencing for July 25, 2011, at which time SOTO faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years and a fine of up to $250,000.

LUIS SOTO has two prior bank robbery convictions.

On April 14, 2010, Felix Soto pleaded guilty to one count of bank robbery. He awaits sentencing.

This matter was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Berlin and Windsor Police Departments. Expert testimony concerning DNA analysis was provided by the State of Connecticut's Forensic Science Laboratory. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys David E. Novick and Michael J. Gustafson.

Public Safety Technology in the News

Idaho Lab Develops a Quicker Way to Catch a Thief
The Columbian, (04/28/2008), Todd Dvorak

A faster and possibly cheaper method of human identification using antibodies, unique to everyone, has been developed by Federal researchers. However, proponents want to stress this new method is not designed to replace present DNA testing. These antibodies can be found in bodily fluid and are used by the body to fight disease or assist in any number of other bodily functions. The technology to conduct this testing has been licensed to Identity Sciences LLC, and by fall 2009 the company anticipates providing testing kits and training to the law enforcement, military, and forensic communities worldwide.
news.columbian.com/news/state/APStories/AP04282008news310529.cfm?modifyFont=L

Microsoft Helps Law Enforcement Get Around Encryption
PC World, (04/29/2008), Nancy Gohring

Encryption software use by cyber criminals is increasing, and in an effort to assist law enforcement in getting around such technology, Microsoft has developed the Computer Online Forensic Evidence Extractor (COFEE) toolkit. Microsoft first released the product last June for free and it is now in use by roughly 2,000 agents worldwide. This software, made up of 150 tools, can be stored on a USB flash drive for use at the scene of a crime. This mobility and portability can prevent officers from having to turn off a computer, which can result in lost data. Also, processing a computer with COFEE can take about 20 minutes, versus previous methods that produced results in 3 to 4 hours.
www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/145318/microsoft_helps_law_enforcement_get_around_enc

Dallas-Area Law Enforcement Agencies Unveiling Online Services to Share Local Crime Reports
The Dallas Morning News, (05/02/2008), Richard Abshire

The Plano Police Department hopes that keeping the community informed regarding crimes that occur near churches, homes, or schools will be key in developing strong working relations with the citizens they serve. Citizens can sign up to receive e-mail alerts using a system that is accessible through the crimereports.com website. The system can also provide the public with access to incident reports by location on a map, along with a description of the crime and other related information. This can be useful for Neighborhood Watch groups and coordinators, as well as free up time relating to routine requests for records.
www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/city/collin/plano/stories/DN-planopd_02met.ART.North.Edition1.46e5342.html

Simulator Trains Police for the Worst
KAAL TV, (05/01/2008), Jackie Orozco

Simulators offer officers and cadets a safe place to learn and prepare for the volatile and nastiest situations their job can offer. As real-life situations such as college campus or school shootings become more common, the simulator can be updated to include the situation as part of the training scenarios. Officers and cadets are provided with a special 9mm weapon and expected to verbally interact with the scenario as it takes place. The simulator is also capable of shooting back at participants and plans are in place to add a "recoil pack" to the 9mm to offer even more realism to the experience.
kaaltv.com/article/stories/S430530.shtml?cat=10151

Technology Deters Bank Robberies
Madison County Journal, (05/01/2008), Staff Reporter

Would-be bank robbers in Madison County (Mississippi) are facing deterrent mechanisms of the high-tech kind with digital surveillance and the low-tech kind with common courtesy or "Southern hospitality." Area banks, while working with law enforcement, have installed digital surveillance to achieve higher resolution images of most bank patrons. However, banks are also finding that being courteous and welcoming bank patrons as they enter can also have a deterrent effect and give would-be robbers a moment of pause. Another alternative deterrent method is banks implementing "dress codes" that forbid the wearing of hoods or clothing that can conceal a person's identity.
www.onlinemadison.com/main.asp?SectionID=1&SubSectionID=1&ArticleID=20188&TM=18291.84

Google Adapts YouTube's Copyright-ID Technology to Combat Child-Porn
International Business Times, (05/01/2008), Vivek Gangjee

Google is working to fight child pornography. Google engineers have repurposed a video and image analysis tool used to identify and remove copyright-protected videos from its YouTube site. Google has partnered with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) to test the technology, which will identify patterns in still images and videos. NCMEC can use the analysis to track down predators. The tools have been developed to help NCMEC arrange and index its data, as well as cross-reference historical data, for better, more efficient handling of new images and footage submitted to the center. The goal of this technology and the partnership is to make it more difficult for predators to use the Web to exploit children or traffic child pornography.
in.ibtimes.com/articles/20080501/google-child-pornography-youtube-copyright-technology-ncmec.htm

Amber Alert Technology Will be Used to Notify Public of Officer's death in Line of Duty
Suncoast News, (05/06/2008), Associated Press

A 56 percent increase in officer deaths across Florida has prompted an executive order that indicates that the State's Amber Alert system will be activated in the event of an officer being wounded or killed in the line of duty. The alerts will broadcast when an officer has been reported down and provide further information regarding the incident.
www.mysuncoast.com/Global/story.asp?S=8276061&nav=menu577_2_1

The Camera That Wears a Badge
The New York Times, (05/04/2008), Joe Sharkey

Photo enforcement to catch red-light runners or speeders has all but eliminated the need for law enforcement to hide behind bushes and billboards waiting to stop motorists. However, with the implementation of photo enforcement has also come some unexpected results such as an increase in citations to rental companies. When the rental companies receive these fines they pay the fee and then charge the customer the fine plus a processing fee. Also, in anticipation of the revenue from the cameras, some municipalities are rewriting motor vehicle codes so that such violations are treated like parking tickets with no points being issued. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, which supports camera use, feels the cameras assist the law enforcement community, whose resources are stretched, keep up with vehicle violations. But motorists are using the Web to find services offered by Njection or Trapster to locate both manned and photo-enforcement locations.
www.nytimes.com/2008/05/04/business/04bug.html?ref=technology

Street Sweeper Cameras Get OK
Washington Times, (05/07/2008), David C. Lipscomb

The District of Columbia Council recently passed legislation to allow the installment of license plate scanning cameras on the city's fleet of 20 street sweepers. Initially, two sweepers will be outfitted for testing prior to the entire fleet being updated. The cameras will allow the Department of Public Works to be more proficient in ticketing violators who park on street-cleaning routes. For the first 45days after cameras are installed, violators will receive warnings. After the 45-day grace period ends, violators will receive a $30 ticket in the mail.
www.washingtontimes.com/article/20080507/METRO/684495592&SearchID=73317047977076

Eyewitness Identification Resource Guide

Misidentifications have contributed to the wrongful conviction of more than 75% of the 213 people (as of February, 2008) exonerated through post-conviction DNA testing in the United States. The single largest cause of wrongful conviction, misidentifications plague our criminal justice system from the investigative stage through final disposition.

The Innocence Project closely tracks all eyewitness identification studies, in an effort to help jurisdictions understand how such misidentifications happen – and as importantly, what can prevent them from happening. This Resource Guide synthesizes the most important information for those considering how to improve the accuracy of eyewitness identifications.

Mindful of the different political landscapes of each state, this Guide attempts only to provide its readers with uncontested scientific research, grounded in years of examination and endorsed by a wide range of justice and law enforcement organizations, such as the National Institute of Justice and the International Association of Chiefs of Police.

The average citizen might assume that eyewitness identifications are typically accurate, and that DNA exonerations are anomalous flukes. Surprisingly, however, studies show that the rate at which eyewitnesses select non-suspect from photo and live lineup members during the course of an identification procedure hovers around 20%. Of the 213 post-conviction exonerations proven through DNA testing to date, over 75% included at least one misidentification. These facts demonstrate that misidentifications are not irregularities, but rather common occurrences in the course of criminal investigation.

Misidentifications not only harm the innocent, but damage the ability of law enforcement to properly investigate crime. Inaccurate eyewitness identifications can “burn witnesses” and otherwise confound investigations from the earliest stages. Time is a critical factor in a successful criminal investigation; when a misidentification distracts police from the real perpetrator, the potential for justice diminishes, while the threat to public safety increases.

DOWNLOAD THE GUIDE

NIJ Solicitation FY08: Using DNA Technology to Identify the Missing

The goal of the Using DNA Technology to Identify the Missing solicitation is twofold: (1) to assist eligible entities in performing DNA analysis on unidentified human remains and/or reference samples to support the efforts of States and units of local governments to identify missing persons and (2) to enter resulting DNA profiles into the CODIS+mito index of the FBI's National DNA Index System. Application Deadline: May 23, 2008, 11:59 p.m. eastern time.

Download the full solicitation at www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/sl000832.pdf.

Public Safety Technology in the News

Online Missing Persons System Unveiled
The Daily Gazette, (04/07/2008), Carl Scribner

In conjunction with the seventh annual New York State Missing Persons Day, specialists from the University of North Texas, Center for Human Identification, gave a presentation on the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUS) database. The system, operated by the National Institute of Justice (NIJ), will be available in 2009 and will act as a central warehouse of records on unidentified remains and missing person reports. System data will be searched for any possible matches. The system will also use DNA, gathered from a family member, as a part of the identification process. NIJ plans to provide sample collection kits, requiring a swab inside the mouth of a family member, to family members free of charge. The public can log on to www.namus.gov to view and tour the site and preview the records currently on the system.
www.dailygazette.com/news/2008/apr/07/0407_database/

FBI Unveils N-DEx Rollout
Government Computer News, (04/02/2008), Wilson P. Dizard III

The first increment of the National Data Exchange (N-Dex) Network System has been launched. N-Dex is sponsored by the FBI's Criminal Justice Information Division. This first increment will allow 50,000 users access to a system that provides Federal, State, tribal, and local law enforcement with the ability to share information that is presently housed in individual agency data systems. Working with law enforcement nationwide, the FBI and Raytheon established the needs of the users and implemented these capabilities in the N-Dex system, which is scheduled for incremental release over the next 3 years. Raytheon indicates that the system will eventually support 200,000 investigators from about 18,000 agencies across Federal, State, tribal, and local jurisdictions.
www.gcn.com/online/vol1_no1/46052-1.html

Internet Scams Cost Consumers $240M
The Mercury News, (04/06/2008), Christine Simmons

The number of reported Internet scams was down last year in comparison to past years, but the dollar amount lost was up by $40 million, to a new high of $240 million, according to a government report that used data gathered from the Internet Crime Complaint Center. Other statistics from the report indicate an increase in ploys that involved pets, check cashing, and online dating. Furthermore, the amount lost by males was on average higher than females, and the overall amount lost increased with age.
www.mercurynews.com/nationworld/ci_8829968

Electronic Ticketing System Puts Police in the Fast Lane
Journal & Courier, (04/02/2008), Dorothy Schneider

Indiana State Police in West Lafayette adopted the use of e-ticketing earlier this year, which allows officers to scan licenses, capture images, and print citations from their cruiser. Once they find funding, other local departments hope to tap into the technology to support the purchase and use of such a system. The system has reduced the amount of time spent by officers issuing citations and warning by about half.
www.jconline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080402/NEWS/804020334

Kansas City Crime Lab Gets New Technology
KCTV Kansas City, (04/03/2008)

The Kansas City (Missouri) Crime Lab has received U.S. Department of Justice funding to help with investigating crimes in the city. One grant has helped the lab hire a full-time network caseworker to handle investigations that involve shell casing evidence. These casing can be checked against the National Ballistics Information Network. The second grant has helped the city purchase two new DNA robots that are capable of collecting and analyzing DNA evidence efficiently.
www.kctv5.com/news/15787833/detail.html

DNA Project Proves Effective in Case of Missing Stewartville Teenager
Post-Bulletin, (04/04/2008), Janice Gregorson

The year-old Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension's Missing Persons DNA Project, designed to assist with identifying matches between missing people and unidentified remains, registered its first successful match between a missing teen and year old remains found in Florida. The process relies on DNA fingerprinting to make the matches. This project allows the family of a missing person to obtain closure, while assisting individual departments in solving cases and using resources effectively.
www.postbulletin.com/newsmanager/templates/localnews_story.asp?z=2&a=335852

Old Room, New Purpose
MonroeNews.com, (04/04/2008)

Monroe County (Michigan) Sheriff Tilman Crutchfield is repurposing the vacant central dispatch room and creating a secure crime lab for his new crime unit. Since the department has investigators trained in the field of forensic computer examination, the department felt that the empty space would give investigators the space necessary to perform their tasks. Although the most prevalent computer crimes are those involving sexual predators, computer crime expands beyond that area. For example, one case being investigated by the unit began online with words and threats, but escalated to an actual physical assault. The creation of this unit signals a shift toward fighting crime of a specialized nature.
www.monroenews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080404/NEWS01/506322489/-1/NEWS

The Value of Video System Allows Inmates to Appear in Court Without Ever Leaving Jail
The Eagle-Tribune, James A. Kimble

The installation and use of video conferencing in the Rockingham County (New Hampshire) Superior Court is the subject of debate. Prosecutors and jail officials believe it is needed from a cost savings and improved security standpoint. However, superior court officials see it as useless and costly. Rockingham County jail spends $275 a month on its system, which is wired with district courts in Salem and Portsmouth. Because of the belief in the effectiveness of the system, the Portsmouth District Court was brought onboard using $20,000 in funding from the jails budget. With the rise in the cost of gas and the amount of time needed to transport prisoners, jail officials and county attorneys feel the savings to the county would be significant, especially for those court appearances that are mandatory, but brief in nature. The superior court did have a system in place in 2001; however, the system was only in one court room, and setting up the system and shuttling judges from o! ne court to another was not timely or efficient. For these reasons the system was not used effectively, and was eventually dropped. However, because of changes in costs to support the system, rising gas costs, and the added security the system would provide, prosecutors and jail officials feel it is time to reevaluate the technology's use in the superior court.
www.eagletribune.com/punewsnh/local_story_096213634.html?keyword=secondarystory

Firearms Training Simulator Gives Police Recruits Experience With Guns in Tough Situations
Daily Freeman, (04/14/2008), Kyle Wind

Using a simulator purchased by Ulster County Community College, the Ulster County (New York) police academy trains officers and recruits on how to handle tough situations. The scenarios on the system are taken from 500 to 600 real-life situations from throughout the country. System equipment includes a retrofitted 9mm Glock pistol that is connected to the computer, and the computer projects the scenario to a wall or screen. Because the system is connected to the weapon, it can track the officer's shots, as well as muzzle location. This is useful when demonstrating to recruits exact muzzle location during a situation and the concept of muzzle drift. The scenarios also help to improve the trainees' powers of observation, but most importantly they learn in the controlled chaos of the simulation, when it is okay to make mistakes in order to learn. Future features of the system will allow officers the chance to train using less-than-lethal alternatives.
www.dailyfreeman.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=19481099&BRD=1769&PAG=461&dept_id=74969&rfi=6

Lynchburg Police Disappointed Over Silent Partner Alert System Response
The News & Advance, (04/01/2008), Carrie Sidener

Five hundred citizens have signed up to participate in the Silent Partner Alert system implemented by the Lynchburg Police Department 2 years ago, as opposed to the thousands that the department believed would sign up. The system provides the department with the ability to send mass e-mail messages to subscribers with information about anything from robberies and car crashes on major roads to missing person alerts. The messages can be sent to PDAs, computers, Blackberries, cell phones, or other devices capable of receiving e-mail. Because of the speed with which these alerts can be sent, they can help police solve a crime. Lynchburg was the second department to sign up for the service; currently seven departments in Virginia participate.
www.newsadvance.com/lna/news/local/article/lynchburg_police_disappointed_over_silent_partner_alert_system_response/3831/

Threats Go High-Tech
The Herald, (04/13/2008), Julia Reynolds

The new canvas for threatening gang graffiti is proving to be hard for police to patrol. Gangs are using the Internet, and specifically sites like YouTube. Police can pull a video from the site quickly if it is identified as a violation of policy. However, for police to act on these threats, the act must "cause victims to fear for their safety," according to Monterey County Deputy Assistant District Attorney Terry Spitz. Another issue is lack of enough resources for police to patrol not only sites like YouTube, but the Web as a whole. Salinas (California) police have a unit of computer forensic investigators that can work on such threats, but unit staff must also handle homicides or other major crime. If during the course of an investigation the threats seem credible, staff notify the victim, but this action is not required by law. These postings can, however, be used by detectives to gather information about local gangs, or as evidence should a crime occur.
origin1.montereyherald.com/news/ci_8909961?nclick_check=1