* Warning: This is an unofficial, introductory copy of the bill.
The official copy considered by the City Council is the first reader copy.
Introductory*
City of Baltimore
Council Bill R
(Resolution)
Introduced by: Councilmember Scott
A Resolution Entitled
A Council Resolution concerning
title
Baltimore Crime Gun Intelligence Center
For the purpose of calling on the Baltimore Police Department to partner with Federal, State, and local law enforcement agencies to create a Baltimore Crime Gun Intelligence Center.
body
Recitals
Guns are at the center of 90% of the homicides on the streets of Baltimore. Gun crime has spiked across the country in recent years sending government and police agencies in a scramble to find ways to halt the use and spreading of guns used in crimes. Cities like Denver, Milwaukee and Chicago decided to create Crime Gun Intelligence Centers (CGICs) an innovative partnership to track guns and ballistics to incidents, active shooters, and gun traffickers.
As explained by a recent report from the Police Executive Research Forum:
CGICs are an interagency collaboration among local police departments, the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), and other partners such as state and local prosecutors, to identify perpetrators of gun crime for immediate investigation, apprehension, and prosecution. CGICs combine state-of-the-art analytical technology, data processing systems, and good old-fashioned detective work to help police agencies more quickly analyze ballistic evidence, establish connections among seemingly unrelated crimes, and build criminal cases targeting both gun traffickers and trigger-pullers.
Specifically, CGICs rely on the swift processing of data from ATF's National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN), which allows law enforcement to link ballistic evidence to multiple incidents in which the same firearm was used, and eTrace, which allows for the tracing of recovered firearms back to their original manufacturer and purchaser. These technologies allow law enforcement agencies to generate investigative leads and apprehend “active shooters” in the community.
The Baltimore Police Department recently partnered with the ATF for the use of its NIBIN van for a trial run. Developing a CGIC would be the next and a much needed step in the fight against the rising gun violence in Baltimore.
Now, therefore, be it resolved by the City Council of Baltimore, That the City Council of Baltimore requests the Baltimore City Police Department to partner with Federal, State, and local law enforcement agencies to create a Baltimore Crime Gun Intelligence Center.
And be it further resolved, That a copy of this Resolution be sent to the Mayor, the Police Commissioner, and the Mayor’s Legislative Liaison to the City Council.