TY - JOUR
T1 - Timely Intelligence Enhances Criminal Investigations
T2 - Investigators’ Ratings of Ballistics Imaging Across Three Cities
AU - Huff, Jessica
AU - King, William R.
AU - Katz, Charles M.
AU - Hipple, Natalie Kroovand
AU - Novak, Kenneth J.
AU - Patterson, Silas
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2024.
PY - 2024
Y1 - 2024
N2 - The National Integrated Ballistics Information Network (NIBIN), a database of ballistic evidence from crime scenes, seeks to provide investigative leads by linking separate offenses involving the same weapons. Using surveys about 570 gun crimes in Indianapolis, Kansas City, and Phoenix, we examine perceptions of NIBIN, and whether lead timeliness influences those perceptions. Detectives who receive NIBIN leads sooner after a crime occurs have significantly higher odds of reporting the lead as helpful. The predicted probability of a lead being perceived as helpful is 43.11% if received 30 days after a crime, but only 17.80% 1 year later. Leads were more helpful for robberies and homicides than other offenses. To maximize the utility of NIBIN, agencies should prioritize rapid evidence processing.
AB - The National Integrated Ballistics Information Network (NIBIN), a database of ballistic evidence from crime scenes, seeks to provide investigative leads by linking separate offenses involving the same weapons. Using surveys about 570 gun crimes in Indianapolis, Kansas City, and Phoenix, we examine perceptions of NIBIN, and whether lead timeliness influences those perceptions. Detectives who receive NIBIN leads sooner after a crime occurs have significantly higher odds of reporting the lead as helpful. The predicted probability of a lead being perceived as helpful is 43.11% if received 30 days after a crime, but only 17.80% 1 year later. Leads were more helpful for robberies and homicides than other offenses. To maximize the utility of NIBIN, agencies should prioritize rapid evidence processing.
KW - NIBIN
KW - forensic evidence
KW - gun crime
KW - intelligence
KW - investigation
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85189205347&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1177/00111287241242484
DO - 10.1177/00111287241242484
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85189205347
SN - 0011-1287
JO - Crime and Delinquency
JF - Crime and Delinquency
ER -
