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Anti-Human Trafficking, Case Closed Software, case management software, Crimes Against Children, Crimes Against Children

Enhancing the Fight Against Crimes Against Children

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Crimes against children are among the most heinous and heartbreaking offenses in society. The need for swift and effective investigations to protect and seek justice for the youngest and most vulnerable members of our community is of utmost importance. In recent years, advances in technology have significantly impacted the realm of law enforcement and investigation. One such technological breakthrough is investigation case management software, a powerful tool that has revolutionized how law enforcement agencies tackle crimes against children.

In this article, we will explore the significance of investigation case management software in combatting these heinous crimes, drawing on insights from the upcoming Crimes Against Children Conference in Dallas.

The Prevalence of Crimes Against Children

Before delving into the impact of investigation case management software, it is essential to understand the gravity of crimes against children. Sadly, these offenses encompass a wide range of abuse, including physical abuse, sexual exploitation, child trafficking, and online predation. According to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, there were more than 1.6 million reports of child exploitation in 2021 alone, highlighting the need for robust investigative tools.

The Role of Investigation Case Management Software

Investigation case management software, such as the one offered by Case Closed Software™, has emerged as a game-changer in the fight against crimes targeting children. This advanced software solution provides law enforcement agencies with a comprehensive platform to manage and streamline investigations, making it easier for investigators to track, analyze, and act on critical information.

Streamlined Data Management and Collaboration

One of the primary challenges faced by law enforcement agencies when dealing with crimes against children is the vast amount of data involved in these investigations. From witness statements to digital evidence, the sheer volume can overwhelm investigators. Investigation case management software allows for centralized data storage, facilitating seamless collaboration among multiple departments and agencies. This streamlined data management ensures that investigators have quick access to all relevant information, leading to faster case resolutions.

Integration of Advanced Analytical Tools

Case Closed Software integrates cutting-edge analytical tools, such as link analysis and data visualization, that aid investigators in connecting the dots between seemingly unrelated pieces of information. These tools are particularly invaluable in complex cases involving child exploitation networks and online predators. By analyzing and mapping relationships between suspects, victims, and key pieces of evidence, investigators can build stronger cases and identify criminal patterns more efficiently.

Improved Case Visibility and Accountability

With investigation case management software, supervisors and administrators gain real-time visibility into ongoing cases. This enhanced oversight enables them to monitor progress, allocate resources effectively, and ensure accountability throughout the investigative process. As a result, law enforcement agencies can better prioritize cases involving children, giving these cases the attention they deserve.

Crimes Against Children Conference (CACC)

 

The Crimes Against Children Conference in Dallas (August 6 – 10, 2023)  provides a platform for law enforcement professionals to share knowledge, best practices, and experiences related to investigating crimes against children. Incorporating investigation case management software into these discussions allows attendees to understand the software’s practical application and the advantages it offers. Moreover, it facilitates the exchange of valuable insights, enabling agencies to optimize their use of the software for more effective investigations.

Conclusion

Investigation case management software has emerged as a powerful ally in the fight against crimes against children. Its ability to streamline data management, facilitate collaboration, integrate advanced analytical tools, and support digital forensics has significantly improved the efficacy of law enforcement investigations. As we continue to battle the heartbreaking crimes committed against our children, the integration of technology, like the software offered by Case Closed Software, ensures that law enforcement agencies have the necessary tools to bring perpetrators to justice and protect the innocent.

By leveraging technology and fostering knowledge-sharing platforms like the Crimes Against Children Conference in Dallas, we can collectively work towards a safer and more secure future for our children.

Investigation Software, investigative case management, law enforcement software, multi-jurisdictional, Task Force Software

Managing Multi-Jurisdictional Investigations

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Multi-Jurisdictional Drug Task Forces, Cold Case task forces, Anti-Human Trafficking task forces, Internet Crimes against Children Task Forces, Wildlife Protection task forces, and the like… they all share a common problem.

Collecting, storing, and disseminating investigative information is difficult enough in any complex investigation unit. Imagine the compounded problems of investigating cases in multiple jurisdictions, across different countries, in multiple languages, with multiple sets of rules and case workflows!

 

Case Closed Software™ produces software to assist people with this process, making it easier to generate, store, and retrieve information over the course of investigating a case, whether that case is across the city or halfway around the world.

When international users investigate cases, they need to be able to collect and store data in a useful and meaningful way so that they can access it later AND to make information available to other people who might have an interest in the case.

Historically, investigative case management required people to start paper files to store witness statements, track evidence, collect and record the outcome of various lines of inquiry, and so forth. Today, Case Closed Software replaces the paper files, allowing people to quickly record and access data.

Investigative case management facilitates the recovery of data at every step of the investigation, along with supporting references, digital images, and other electronic material that can be stored in a computer case file. It is often also necessary to store physical evidence and provide information to help people find it through evidence handling and chain-of-custody records.

The ability to know where EVERY case is, where EVERY piece of evidence is, and what EVERY agent is working on is vital to multi-jurisdictional investigation units.

Active information sharing – across remote jurisdictions and disparate languages – also allows people to do things like connect related cases, identify persons of interest, track organized crime, work with informants, and increase productivity.

CJIS-Compliant and globally-recognized systems from Case Closed Software streamlines the process and simplify data entry so that users can enter materials to quickly and easily, rather than days or weeks later when the information may be less useful.

Case Closed Software solutions for multi-jurisdictional investigations are currently used by customers across the globe to investigate drugs and narcotics, animal cruelty, child sexual abuse, human trafficking, and a host of more traditional criminal investigations.

For more information please visit us at www.caseclosedsoftware.com

Contributed by Douglas Wood, CEO at Case Closed Software™

human trafficking, Investigation Software, investigative case management, Task Force Software

Veterans 4 Child Rescue Deploys Leading-Edge Technology to Battle Age-Old Human Trafficking Problem

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Tucson, AZ – (April 1, 2021) Vets 4 Child Rescue (V4CR), a non-profit organization formed in 2017 and dedicated to fighting child rape trafficking, announced today that they have adopted the industry leading investigation case management system from Austin, TX based Case Closed Software™.

According to a V4CR spokesperson, their non-profit’s mission is 3-fold:

Nationwide alert: Provide nationwide attention to the prevalence of child rape trafficking that is rampant in all 50 states. This is done through traditional media, social media and our Nationwide Volunteer program.
Arrest child predators: An investigative team uses their military and law enforcement experience to run operations in conjunction with local/federal law enforcement and district attorneys to arrest predators that prey on children and to ensure that they will see the cases through to conviction.
​Protect our children: The V4CR Nationwide Volunteer program provides educational outreach programs to arm citizens with the necessary tools to protect their children and maintain safe communities.

“V4CR is fully committed to the rescue of children, and we’re investing in the best technologies possible to assist us. Case Closed Software is a huge part of that strategy”, says V4CR Founder and Veteran Navy SEAL Craig “Sawman” Sawyer. “With these leading-edge tools, we can ensure the evidence will be processed optimally and the predators brought to legal account behind bars where they can harm no more.”

Craig grew up near Houston, TX, got his tactical start in the U.S. Marine Corps, and quickly transitioned to the U.S. Navy to pursue high-level Special Operations as a U.S. Navy SEAL. As an Operator on the Naval Special Warfare Development Group (DEVGRU), Craig gained critical combat experience that is now being utilized to protect those who cannot protect themselves. Because of his experience as a federal criminal investigator, Craig is uniquely qualified to run joint sting operations with law enforcement agencies and allied Non-Governmental Organizations.

Case Closed Software, founded in 2016 by Austin TX entrepreneur Douglas Wood, provides V4CR with robust software designed to assist in their fight against human trafficking and child rape. The software helps V4CR track the entire case lifecycle from tips to post-prosecution, and has revolutionized their ability to work more cases, arrest more perpetrators, and most importantly rescue more children.

“With all of our law enforcement connections and investigators, we needed a platform that will allow us to better our operations and use our resources to their full capacity” added Pete McCarthy, the director of investigations at V4CR. “Case Closed Software gives us end-to-end case management with a configurable workflow, tips and leads management, evidence tracking, operations planning, multi-language support, and a host of other powerful features including entity deconfliction and visualization.”

Case Closed Software, Cloud Software, Crime Technology Solutions, Investigation Software, investigative case management, Task Force Software

Old West crime meets New Age technology

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Billy the Kid carved his name into history through his exploits during and after the Lincoln County War.  In a career filled with almost impossible escapes and daring acts in battle, the “Kid” nevertheless found himself on the losing side of the war and, in its aftermath, was branded the West’s most notorious and wanted desperado.

Cold West Investigations uses advanced software to breathe new life into old west cases such as Billy The Kid (pictured)

Reportedly killed by Sheriff Pat Garrett in 1881, rumors persisted that the Kid survived, and new evidence developed by Cold West Detective Agency may prove that the Kid lived well into the Atomic Age.

Cold West Detective Agency takes a different and unique approach to history. While historians like to ‘study’ it, Cold West detectives actually ‘investigate’ it as a cold case.  Working with law enforcement, Cold West detectives bring distinctive and rare expertise to the investigation of historical cold cases.

Blending old-west footwork with leading-edge investigation case management technologies from Texas-based Case Closed Software, Cold West detectives perform robust investigations at these century-old crime scenes.

Cold West picks up where history left off, and that can make some historians uncomfortable.  It’s been said that “dead men tell no tales”, but when Cold West’s group of hardened investigators combine their expertise and curiosity with Case Closed Software, these investigations come back alive, and history begins to speak its secrets.

Cold West uses the “posse method”, utilizing experts from any and every field required to move the case forward.  They work hand-in-hand with local Sheriffs, police, tech experts, federal agents, historians, and other experts, using cutting edge modern crime scene investigative methods (CSI) to develop never before seen and court-accepted evidence that changes history.

“Case Closed Software has been a game-changer for us”, said Steve Sederwall the co-founder of Cold West and former federal criminal investigator. “Our ability to blend all of our new investigation findings with all of those historical records helps us identify and develop new tips on our historical cases.”

Read a cool BuzzFeed feature on Steve Sederwall and Cold West HERE.

Recently, Cold West – in the midst of investigating another famous old west crime – used Case Closed to develop previously unknown information that could completely change history’s view of the case.  That investigation continues today.

“I like to think about how Jesse James or Billy The Kid would react to seeing how the accepted narrative of their demise is being changed through the work of Cold West detectives using modern and leading-edge technology”, added Case Closed Software’s president Douglas Wood.

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Case Closed Software Announces Advances in Investigation Software

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Crime Technology Solutions, LLC has deployed a new global release of its Case Closed Software that focuses on helping organizations better manage complex, multi-jurisdictional investigations.

“Case Closed Software is widely recognized as the only true investigation software for multi-jurisdictional investigative agencies”, said the company’s CEO and founder Douglas Wood. “With our latest version, we expand even further into solving the unique problems faced by task forces, global organizations, and other more specialized investigation units”.

New features of Case Closed Software include:

  • Multi-Language Support, which enables Case Closed Software users to interact with the application in any language they choose. All data is translated in realtime so users who speak different languages can share intelligence and case information.
  • Integrated Operations Plan gives organizations the ability to plan and execute strategic investigative operations across jurisdictions. With Case Closed Software’s Operations Plan, users are all executing their initiatives in sync, and everyone is on the same page in terms of strategy and tactics.
  • Improved data entry options, making it easier for investigators to quickly get relevant information into the system. The new system allows administrative re-naming of fields for localization, enhanced drop-down menu functionality, and the ability to remove unused fields completely from the interface.
  • Case Visualization allows users to quickly visualize the elements of their case using integrated link analysis software. Entities such as people, locations, and vehicles are displayed in a simple ‘tree format’ that allows users to click through information related to those entities. With this feature, users can easily view where else their case entities exist within the system across cases and across jurisdictions.
  • Google Location Integration, allowing critical addresses and locations to be entered quickly and accurately. Not all locations are addresses, and the new Case Closed Software features allow users to pin locations on an integrated map. Lat/Long, country, province/state, etc are all auto-populated.

“With global customers like Humane Society International, Exodus Road, and others it is important to continually strive to keep our Case Closed Software at the head of the class. Our latest version is another step in our endless march to remain the go-to solution for investigation case management.”

Download the Case Closed Software product sheet for Multi-Jurisdiction Investigations.

Or, for more information about Crime Technology Solutions, LLC and Case Closed Software, visit https://www.caseclosedsoftware.com

crime analysis, Drug Task Force, investigative case management, Narcotics Investigators, Narcotics Task Force

Case Closed Software to sponsor annual NNOAC conference

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Case Closed Software™ has announced that the company is sponsoring the annual National Narcotics Officers’ Associations’ Coalition (NNOAC) conference in Washington, DC. The conference, attended by hundreds of narcotics officers and agencies across the country, is happening February 2 – 6, 2019.

NNOAC_logo-300x218

Case Closed is powerful Investigative Case Management Software designed and developed BY Drug Task Force investigators FOR Drug Task Force investigators. Case Closed Cloud is the industry’s only fully integrated web-based Law Enforcement Task Force software for managing investigations, evidence, intelligence, informants, and much, much more.

Built using the very latest technologies, Case Closed Cloud is NIBRS-ready, and can be accessed on any device at any time. Case Closed Cloud is accessed from our ultra secure, CJIS-Compliant cloud servers via any browser on any device. With a full feature set including:

• Designed for Multi-Jurisdictional DTF Use
• Tracks all Cases and Case Types
• Manages Incidents and Case Actions
• Mobile-Friendly for Field Use
• 100% C)IS Compliant
• NIBRS Ready Architecture
• Physical Evidence Management
• Stores all Document Types by Case
• Manages Statutes and Charges through Court
• Manages Confidential Informants
• Manages Tips and Leads
• Provides Internal Messaging and Reminders
• Tracks Gangs, Members, and Events
• Delivers ad hoc Reporting Tools
• Tracks all Persons/Places/Vehicles across Cases
• Creates Master Case File for DA Use

CaseClosedMain (2)Case Closed Software will show Drug Task Forces how they can FINALLY stop trying to manage with spreadsheets, paper files, antiquated systems, or poorly-designed RMS software.

Cloud Software, crime analysis, Crime Technology Solutions, Drug Task Force, fusion centers, Investigation Software, investigative case management, law enforcement software, Major Case Management

Case Actions: The Baseline for Productive Investigations.

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Several times each week, I receive an inquiry from a PD, task force, or Sheriff’s office asking if my investigation case management software, Case Closed Software, can interface with a particular Records Management System (RMS). The question stems from the investigation unit’s desire to have a purpose-built, flexible solution designed to help their agents stay organized and work more efficiently.

Let’s face it… RMS software, by and large, is not designed for managing major cases. Agencies know it, and the RMS vendors know it. For them, the notion of managing the complexities of major case investigations is an afterthought at best.

(The answer I give to these inquiries, by the way, is that any good investigation management software should have capabilities to ingest data from other law enforcement products, including RMS).

The more important point, however, is recognizing that criminal investigators gather vasts amounts of information during the course of an investigation. Witness statements, interviews, interrogations, tips, leads, informant statements, audio files, video files, photos, and much more. Too often, agents must rely on their RMS systems which, per above, are not purpose-built for investigations. Investigators also rely heavily on paper files and file cabinets full of notes, search warrants, and physical evidence.

Fortunately, there is an alternative… purpose built investigation case management software that utilizes what I call ‘Case Actions’ as the underlying workflow. Case Actions are the individual actions that an investigation unit takes in pursuit of closing a case. These are the investigative supplemental reports.  Case Actions are expansive in nature, and include:

  • Crime Scene Visits
  • Interviews
  • Interrogations
  • Knock ‘n Talks
  • Surveillance
  • DNA
  • Search Warrants
  • Affidavits
  • Controlled Buys
  • Arrests

… and much, much more. You get the idea, though.

By effectively logging each Case Action in a particular Case, the investigators (and management) are able to quickly and visually recognize the status of the case, and what further actions should be taken. Each Case Action leads to new information… which leads to new Case Actions. And the beat goes on. Hopefully, sooner rather than later, enough information is garnered to close the case. That’s the power of Case Action based workflow.

With the Case Action based approach, each Case Action is tied to Persons, Locations, Vehicles, etc. As a result, robust dossiers of these things are built without the individual agent(s) even realizing it.

By utilizing an investigation case management solution that is based upon Case Actions, law enforcement can leverage information from previously-entered data such as telephone numbers, evidence items, addresses, persons, gang members, etc. The Case Actions feed themselves – and each other – to build a valuable repository of investigative information.

An example: A detective has received a tip that Doug Wood is involved in a particular criminal activity. By accessing her Case Action-based system, she quickly learns that Doug Wood has been a Suspect in Case 1 (belonging to an entirely different investigator), and a Witness in Case 2 (belonging to a third investigator).

She also learns (via Case Actions performed by the Gang Unit) that Doug Wood shares an address with a confirmed Gang Member and goes by the nickname ‘Woody’. She also sees Doug’s previous addresses, telephone numbers, work history, social media accounts and so on… each of which has been logged as part of completely unique Case Actions.

That is the power of Case Actions based investigation management software. Because each previous Case Action involving Doug Wood was logged, the current investigator has a goldmine of information at her fingertips.

Case Closed Software is the leading provider of Case Action based investigation case management software for law enforcement. Contact Us for a demo today!

ASCIA, Big Data Policing, crime analysis, crime analyst, Crime Technology Solutions, Drug Task Force, gang intelligence, IBM i2, Investigation Software, investigative case management, law enforcement, law enforcement intelligence, law enforcement software, Law Enforcement Technology, Link Analysis, Major Case Management, Palantir

Case Actions – The Baseline For Productive Investigation Units

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Several times each week, I receive an inquiry from a PD, task force, or Sheriff’s office asking if my investigation case management software, Case Closed Software, can interface with a particular Records Management System (RMS). The question stems from the investigation unit’s desire to have a purpose-built, flexible solution designed to help their agents stay organized and work more efficiently.

Let’s face it… RMS software, by and large, is not designed for managing major cases. Agencies know it, and the RMS vendors know it. For them, the notion of managing the complexities of major case investigations is an afterthought at best.

(The answer I give to these inquiries, by the way, is that any good investigation management software should have capabilities to ingest data from other law enforcement products, including RMS).

The more important point, however, is recognizing that criminal investigators gather vasts amounts of information during the course of an investigation. Witness statements, interviews, interrogations, tips, leads, informant statements, audio files, video files, photos, and much more. Too often, agents must rely on their RMS systems which, per above, are not purpose-built for investigations. Investigators also rely heavily on paper files and file cabinets full of notes, search warrants, and physical evidence.

Fortunately, there is an alternative… purpose built investigation case management software that utilizes what I call ‘Case Actions’ as the underlying workflow. Case Actions are the individual actions that an investigation unit takes in pursuit of closing a case. Case Actions are expansive in nature, and include:

  • Crime Scene Visits
  • Interviews
  • Interrogations
  • Knock ‘n Talks
  • Surveillance
  • DNA
  • Search Warrants
  • Affidavits
  • Controlled Buys
  • Arrests

… and much, much more. You get the idea, though.

By effectively logging each Case Action in a particular Case, the investigators (and management) are able to quickly and visually recognize the status of the case, and what further actions should be taken. Each Case Action leads to new information… which leads to new Case Actions. And the beat goes on. Hopefully, sooner rather than later, enough information is garnered to close the case. That’s the power of Case Action based workflow.

WIth the Case Action based approach, each Case Action is tied to Persons, Locations, Vehicles, etc. As a result, robust dossiers of these things are built without the individual agent(s) even realizing it.

By utilizing an investigation case management solution that is based upon Case Actions, law enforcement can leverage information from previously-entered data such as telephone numbers, evidence items, addresses, persons, gang members, etc. The Case Actions feed themselves – and each other – to build a valuable repository of investigative information.

An example: A detective has received a tip that Doug Wood is involved in a particular criminal activity. By accessing her Case Action-based system, she quickly learns that Doug Wood has been a Suspect in Case 1 (belonging to an entirely different investigator), and a Witness in Case 2 (belonging to a third investigator).

She also learns (via Case Actions performed by the Gang Unit) that Doug Wood shares an address with a confirmed Gang Member and goes by the nickname ‘Woody’. She also sees Doug’s previous addresses, telephone numbers, work history, social media accounts and so on… each of which has been logged as part of completely unique Case Actions.

That is the power of Case Actions based investigation management software. Because each previous Case Action involving Doug Wood was logged, the current investigator has a goldmine of information at her fingertips.

Case Closed Software is the leading provider of Case Action based investigation case management software for law enforcement. Contact Us for a demo today!

crime analysis, Crime Technology Solutions, Investigation Software, investigative case management, law enforcement, law enforcement software, Major Case Management, policing

Managing Major Cases Part Three: Multi-Incident Major Cases

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In Part One of this series, I overviewed a generally-accepted definition of Major Cases, and discussed some of the attributes that define them.

In Part Two, I began to probe the ‘types’ of Major Cases – specifically, Single-Incident Major Cases. These are cases that may, under different circumstances, not be Major Cases but for the identity of the victim, the identity of the suspect, the location of the incident, and/or the uniqueness of the crime.

Here in Part Three, I want to discuss the second ‘type’ of Major Cases – Multi-Incident Major Cases and – specifically – the problems associated with trying to investigate a case while related crimes are still occurring. (Spoiler Alert: It’s stressful)

Based upon interviews I have conducted with CID Commanders, Sheriffs, District Attorneys, and other law enforcement experts, there are several types of Multi-Incident Major Cases. Based on the patterns of the crimes, Multi-Incident Major Cases are classified into three basic categories – Mass crimes, Spree crimes, and Serial crimes

Mass Crimes – A Major Case mass crime involves multiple victims at one location during one continuous period of time, whether it is done within a few minutes or over a period of days. The term ‘mass murder’ springs to mind, and invokes images of Dylann Roof(Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in South Carolina), James Holmes (2012 Aurora, CO. shooting in which he killed 12 people and injured 70 others at a movie theater), and James Loughner (2011 Tuscon, AZ shooting that killed 6 people and severely wounded US Representative Gabrielle Giffords).

massmurderers
Dylann Roof, James Holmes, and James Loughner

There are other types of Major Case mass crimes, however, including mass assault, mass human smuggling, and other horrible crimes that need no further illustration here.

Spree Crimes – Spree criminals commit two or more serious crimes with two or more victims, but at more than one location. An important distinction about spree crimes is that there is no ‘cooling off’ period between the crimes.

markbarton
Mark Barton

An unfortunate example of a spree crime is that of Mark Barton. On July 29th, 1999, he walked into his office at Momentum Securities and opened fire, killing four people. Then he went next door to another company and killed five more people. Earlier in the day he had also murdered his wife and their two children. Multiple crimes in multiple locations with no cooling off.

 

Another example of a spree crime is the armed robber who hits a slew of pre-chosen banks on the same day, terrorizing employees in the process. The examples here are too numerous to mention, but they become Major Cases by virtue of their spree qualities. Again, this shows multiple crimes in multiple locations with no cooling off.

Serial Crimes – Serial criminals commit multiple crimes with multiple victims. Unlike spree criminals, however, serial criminals commit their crimes on distinctly separate occasions. There is a cooling off period between crimes.

Uniquely, serial criminals tend to plan their crimes meticulously and pre-select their victims and locations. Unlike mass crimes and spree crimes, serial crimes are differentiated in that the perpetrator tends to carefully select their victims, have cooling-off periods between crimes, and plan them carefully. Examples of serial criminals (especially serial killers) are far too easy to find and include The Zodiac Killer (in California in the late 1960s), Ted Bundy (confessed to killing 30 women), and Dennis Raider (The BTK Murderer who killed 10 people in Wichita between 1974 and 1991

A unique problem with Multiple Incident Major Cases

The major problem for law enforcement investigating Multiple Incident Major Cases, especially those that fall in the ‘serial’ category, is that new crimes are committed even as the investigation is underway. Resources can be stretched to their thinnest when a new crime is added to the serial list, and the public pressure for an arrest can overwhelm even the hardest of investigators. Hello, stress.

stress

A common attribute of the successful serial crime investigators that I have spoken with is their ability to separate the pressure from the work. The crimes and their timing are unpredictable, the public demand for a resolution is powerfully serious, and ‘interested parties’ (think politicians) are breathing down the investigators’ necks. That’s a lot of pressure.

Just as in any profession, untreated stress can lead to major consequences. These consequences not only affect the individual investigator, but also those with whom he or she has daily contact, including family and friends. The investigators I have spoken with help alleviate the pressure through:

  • Taking care of themselves physically,
  • Ensuring that workload is spread as evenly as possible, and
  • Taking time to partake in leisure and family.

(A quick point of clarity and a disclaimer: Any discussion around the differences between mass criminals, spree criminals, and serial criminals is going to be lively, and is an ongoing source for debate among criminologists. This posting will undoubtedly include characteristics and definitions that some readers may not entirely agree with.)

In Part 4 of this special series Managing Major Cases, I will examine the operational structures involved in managing major investigations.

New Doug4Douglas Wood is CEO of Crime Technology Solutions | Case Closed Software, a leading provider of serious investigation software to law enforcement, state bureaus, DA offices, and other investigative units. Doug can be reached directly HERE.

Big Data Policing, crime analysis, Crime Technology Solutions, criminal intelligence, Investigation Software, investigative case management, law enforcement, law enforcement software, Major Case Management

Managing Major Cases Part Two: What puts the ‘Major’ in Major Cases?

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In Part One of this series, I provided my definition of Major Cases and went into some detail about some of the attributes that differentiate a Case from a Major Case. Moving ahead now, I want to take a look at the different ‘types’ of Major Cases and an overview of major case management.

One of the problems in dealing with Major Cases is that, because of the varying types of cases, there’s no firm blueprint for investigating them. Major Cases move in real time, and – based upon interviews I have conducted with Major Case Investigators – can generally fall into one of two categories – Single Incidents and Multiple (serial) Incidents.

This article tackles Single Incident Major Cases.

Single incident Major Cases are defined by one single criminal act so abhorrent to the socio-economic environment, that it alone creates intense pressure to apprehend the perpetrator(s). What makes the incident so abhorrent ranges from factors such as:

The identity of the victim: In September of 1996, at the height of tensions between The Bloods and The Crips, a 25 year old African American man is shot in a drive-by shooting on the streets of Las Vegas and dies a few days later. Unfortunately, young black men die far too frequently in times of gang tensions, and few of these cases ever elevate to the status of a Major Case. The victim here, however, was Tupac Shakur.

Tupac was an American rapper and actor who came to embody the 1990s gangsta-rap aesthetic, and was a key figure in the feud between West Coast and East Coast hip hop artists. Simply put… he was famous as hell. Hence, a far-too-routine shooting became a Major Case in the blink of an eye. The case remains unsolved.

The identity of the suspect(s): “We the jury in the above entitled action find the defendant, Orenthal James Simpson, not guilty of the crime of murder.” Thus ended the double murder trial of former NFL player and Heisman Award winner OJ Simpson. In what was deemed ‘The Trial of the Century”, Simpson had been charged with the June 13, 1994 killings of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend Ron Goldman.

After weeks of testimony, and a clear nation-wide division between those who believed Simpson to be innocent and those who believed him guilty, Simpson was acquitted of the murders on October 3, 1995.

While the case of two relatively young and affluent Caucasians being killed in the generally safe area of Brentwood may have been newsworthy, it was the identity of the suspect that was the catalyst in this becoming one of the most famous single-incident Major Cases in American history.

The location of the crime: When a half-naked corpse, covered in cuts, bruises and bite marks, is found behind the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York’s Central Park, you have the makings of a Major Case. The corpse was that of 18-year-old Jennifer Dawn Levin. Levin was murdered during the early morning hours of August 26, 1986.

The ‘Met’, as the museum is known, is one of the most-visited and famous museums on the entire planet. Murders don’t happen in world-famous places like this, and the case became the top story on the evening news for months and months. That is one major single-incident Major Case.

After an investigation into what the press dubbed “The Preppie Murder”, college student Robert Chambers was charged and tried for murder. The jury, however, remained deadlocked for nine days and a plea bargain was struck. (Chambers’ defense, you may recall, was that he had killed Ms. Levin during consensual ‘rough sex’.)

The uniqueness of the crime itself: Six year old girls in upscale Colorado neighborhoods aren’t supposed to die. They’re certainly not supposed to be murdered… especially in their own home while the rest of the family slept. Uniqueness has always surrounded the December, 1996 killing of young beauty queen JonBenét Ramsey in Boulder, CO.

On the morning of December 26, 1996, John Ramsey found his daughter’s body with duct tape over her mouth and a cord twisted around her neck in the basement of the family home. John’s wife, Patsy, says she found a ransom note demanding $118,000 for JonBenét’s return – an amount that is purported to match exactly a recent work-related bonus that John Ramsey had received. Despite these odd circumstances, the couple retained lawyers and were not formally interviewed by police for over 4 months. (The case has never been solved, and Boulder Police have cleared the couple of any wrongdoing.)

Tragically, it’s estimated that over 1500 children are murdered each year in America. JonBenét’s case may have been just another number in that truly sad statistic were it not for unique circumstances that surrounded it; it occurred in an upscale neighborhood, the victim was a young beauty queen, the ransom note matching the bonus, a possible crime scene contamination by father John, and ‘seemingly’ uncooperative parents that made this a single-incident Major Case.

In Part Three of this series, we examine some examples and problems associated with Multiple Incident Major Cases.

 

Douglas Wood is CEO of Crime Technology Solutions | Case Closed Software, a leading provider of serious investigation software to law enforcement, state bureaus, DA offices, and other investigative units. Doug can be reached directly HERE.