Jun 9, 2009 9:56 pm US/Eastern
BSO Declares War Against Gun Violence
Squad Will Test All Recovered Guns To Match With Crimes
FORT LAUDERDALE (CBS4) ―
In March 2007, a Broward County resident was shot and injured. Law enforcement officers investigated but the case went nowhere and the gun was not found.
Fast forward 9 months.
In December 2007, a police officer recovered a gun during a traffic stop in Broward County. For months, that gun sat on a shelf in the police department.
In years past, that gun would have been sent to the Broward Sheriff's Office to be destroyed since it apparently had no connection to a crime.
That's where the new Broward Sheriff's Office Gun Squad comes in.
Using state of the art technology to compare the unique markings, or fingerprints, on a shell casing, the Gun Squad tested-fired the weapon and determined the gun was the same one used in the March 2007 shooting.
Broward Sheriff Al Lamberti said this seemingly cold case just received a hot new lead. This is one example, Lamberti said, of the need for a Gun Squad that will work to cut down on the amount of gun violence in Broward County.
"This proactive program aims to remove illegal weapons from the streets and to impede illegal ownership of guns," Lamberti said in a statement. "Our deputies will be trained to spot, track and prevent gun crimes. New technology will be introduced to track and match shell casings to guns used in homicides and robberies."
During a news conference Tuesday afternoon, Lamberti stood at a podium surrounded by dozens of guns seized on the streets of Broward County. Lamberti said the criminals are using "bigger, better, more powerful" weapons. He also said the criminals today possess a greater willingness to shoot at the public and at deputies and police officers.
"They figure they have nothing left to lose," Lamberti said. "It's worth the risk. I'll take my chances. It's a totally different callous attitude."
Lamberti pointed to several recent shootings of BSO deputies -- Deputy Brian Tephford and Sergeant Chris Reyka, as evidence of the need to test all weapons seized in Broward County, even the weapons recovered that appeared to play no part in a criminal act.
"I felt like we're missing a lot of opportunities," Lamberti said. "Let's say somebody recovers a weapon not used in a crime and it's the one that killed Chris Reyka. Unless we start testing them we're never gonna know."
The testing will be done through a system called BrassTrax. According to BSO, it's an automated system for entering images of bullet casings into a database. Through BrassTrax, law enforcement can match the markings on shell casings to casings from other crimes.
BrassTrax costs $270,000.
Despite the need to make budget cuts -- Lamberti proposed cutting 177 employees and ending drug treatment programs in the county jail -- BSO said BrassTrax is being paid for through a state grant.
Overtime for the three officers assigned to the Gun Unit is coming from a separate grant, Lamberti said.
"The magnitude of the problem is increasing," Lamberti said. "Everybody talks about we need to cut back because of the budget. What I'm saying is when people want to feel more safe. I don't want them to feel less safe."
BSO Sgt. Maria Polo-Renner will be in charge of the Gun Squad.
"I feel like a kid in a candy store because now all these weapons that would have never been connected to a crime or possibly connected, will now be connected," she told reporters.
Lamberti promised that all deputies would be on the lookout for illegal firearms and said this new initiative is here to stay.
The Gun Squad will "look at every gun crime in the county. To look at every gun recovered in the county, to look at guns pawned in the county, to look at every gun stolen in the county, a coordinated, focused effort."
Later Tuesday afternoon, Sheriff Lamberti sent a message saying:
This afternoon I announced our agency's new gun violence prevention program. The goal of this program is to reduce the level of gun violence in Broward County. This is not a short-term initiative but a new BSO philosophy. This proactive program aims to remove illegal weapons from the streets and to impede illegal ownership of guns. Our deputies will be trained to spot, track and prevent gun crimes. New technology will be introduced to track and match shell casings to guns used in homicides and robberies. And through Crime Stoppers, rewards will now be made to callers who report people who have weapons illegally or who posses banned weapons. The Crime Stoppers program, Gun Stoppers, will award up to $100 for the recovery of an illegal weapon and up to $1,000 for the arrest of someone carrying a gun illegally. To make a report, call (954) 493-TIPS (8477) or (866) 493-TIPS toll free. Remember, you will remain anonymous. I am confident that if we work together, Broward County will remain a safe place for all of our families.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
Double Homicide In NW Miami-Dade
Click to enlarge
Stumble It!
Reporting
