Law Enforcement

Watch How Crime Labs Use a Tool Called NIBIN to Crack Gun Cases

Law Enforcement

Watch How Crime Labs Use a Tool Called NIBIN to Crack Gun Cases

When I first learned that investigators can look at tiny marks on shell casings from bullets to get leads on gun crimes that plague neighborhoods across the country, I had to see for myself. Read Next…

Ann Givens
A Scrappy California Crime Lab Is Cracking More Gun Cases — Thanks to Technology Bigger Agencies Misuse

How We Fix This

A Scrappy California Crime Lab Is Cracking More Gun Cases — Thanks to Technology Bigger Agencies Misuse

Propelled by a new, no-nonsense boss, Contra Costa County ditched the excuses that keep many law enforcement agencies from taking better advantage of a crime-fighting database called NIBIN.

Ann Givens
Five U.S. Law Enforcement Officers Were Shot and Killed in the Line of Duty in One Week in February 2018

Law Enforcement

Five U.S. Law Enforcement Officers Were Shot and Killed in the Line of Duty in One Week in February 2018

We’ve noticed that this story from February 2018 is receiving a surge of traffic in 2020. Annual statistics on police officers killed in the line of duty can be found on this page of the FBI’s Uniform Crime…

Jennifer Mascia
Extremism

Arkansas Bust Is Latest Example of Right-Wing Extremists Arrested for Violating Gun Laws

Police in Arkansas say nine of the 44 people arrested in a drug and weapons investigation this Wednesday were member of local white-supremacist gangs. Twenty-five pounds of methamphetamine and 69 firearms were seized in the operation, the latest of many…

Alex Yablon
In New York City, Gun Cases Fuel Growing, Unregulated DNA Database

Law Enforcement

In New York City, Gun Cases Fuel Growing, Unregulated DNA Database

The city is ramping up its efforts to collect genetic material. But the absence of oversight alarms forensic and legal experts.

Ann Givens and Robert Lewis
The False Promises of the Trump Justice Department’s Strategy for Fighting Gun Violence

Community Violence

The False Promises of the Trump Justice Department’s Strategy for Fighting Gun Violence

Funneling more gun criminals to federal prison won't lead to fewer gun homicides. To understand why, just look at St. Louis.

Mark Obbie
Gun Cases Are Notoriously Hard to Make Stick. New York Thinks It Has the Answer.

How We Fix This

Gun Cases Are Notoriously Hard to Make Stick. New York Thinks It Has the Answer.

The city has launched an ambitious program to collect DNA from every gun recovered by police. But questions remain about effectiveness, and cost.

Ann Givens and Robert Lewis
When Police Fail to Solve Homicides, Families Carry the Weight

Law Enforcement

When Police Fail to Solve Homicides, Families Carry the Weight

Four young men were fatally shot. Their killers haven't been caught. Their mothers suffer.

Francesca Mirabile
U.S. Capitol Police Undergo Extensive Active-Shooter Training

Law Enforcement

U.S. Capitol Police Undergo Extensive Active-Shooter Training

"You’re prepared for any situation that comes up."

Sean Campbell and Brian Freskos
Jeff Sessions Says Renewing the War on Drugs Will Also Reduce Violent Crime. Experts Aren’t So Sure.

Law Enforcement

Jeff Sessions Says Renewing the War on Drugs Will Also Reduce Violent Crime. Experts Aren’t So Sure.

Stepped-up narcotics arrests can actually lead to more violence.

Danielle Tcholakian
Meet the Hardliner Jeff Sessions Picked to Carry Out His Violent Crime Crackdown

Criminal Justice

Meet the Hardliner Jeff Sessions Picked to Carry Out His Violent Crime Crackdown

Steve Cook, a former federal prosecutor, fiercely supports controversial policies calling for lengthy prison sentences.

Dan Friedman
ATF Executive Pitches a More Gun Industry-Friendly Bureau

Law Enforcement

ATF Executive Pitches a More Gun Industry-Friendly Bureau

Former officials say the memo could be a pitch for the agency's top job.

Alex Yablon and Ann Givens
Police Groups to Trump: Here’s How You Can ‘Send in the Feds,’ and Actually Make a Dent in Urban Crime

Law Enforcement

Police Groups to Trump: Here’s How You Can ‘Send in the Feds,’ and Actually Make a Dent in Urban Crime

Law enforcement leaders recommend more money for the ATF, stricter gun laws, and sharper focus on the "alarming recent trend of increasing homicides and shootings" in major U.S. cities.

Miles Kohrman
Trump’s Promised Crackdown on Gun Crimes Is Coming Into Focus

Criminal Justice

Trump’s Promised Crackdown on Gun Crimes Is Coming Into Focus

His attorney general nominee pledges to increase federal firearms prosecutions — but tools for nabbing traffickers will remain lacking.

Nora Biette-Timmons
The Chicago PD’s Top Tech Officer Is Betting on Sensors and Smartphones to Help Curb Shootings

Law Enforcement

The Chicago PD’s Top Tech Officer Is Betting on Sensors and Smartphones to Help Curb Shootings

“These tools are not replacing people,” says Deputy Chief Jonathan Lewin, “but they improve our capacity to do our job."

Ann Givens

Law Enforcement

Watch How Crime Labs Use a Tool Called NIBIN to Crack Gun Cases

A Scrappy California Crime Lab Is Cracking More Gun Cases — Thanks to Technology Bigger Agencies Misuse

Five U.S. Law Enforcement Officers Were Shot and Killed in the Line of Duty in One Week in February 2018

Arkansas Bust Is Latest Example of Right-Wing Extremists Arrested for Violating Gun Laws

In New York City, Gun Cases Fuel Growing, Unregulated DNA Database

The False Promises of the Trump Justice Department’s Strategy for Fighting Gun Violence

Gun Cases Are Notoriously Hard to Make Stick. New York Thinks It Has the Answer.

When Police Fail to Solve Homicides, Families Carry the Weight

U.S. Capitol Police Undergo Extensive Active-Shooter Training

Jeff Sessions Says Renewing the War on Drugs Will Also Reduce Violent Crime. Experts Aren’t So Sure.

Meet the Hardliner Jeff Sessions Picked to Carry Out His Violent Crime Crackdown

ATF Executive Pitches a More Gun Industry-Friendly Bureau

Police Groups to Trump: Here’s How You Can ‘Send in the Feds,’ and Actually Make a Dent in Urban Crime

Trump’s Promised Crackdown on Gun Crimes Is Coming Into Focus

The Chicago PD’s Top Tech Officer Is Betting on Sensors and Smartphones to Help Curb Shootings