2011 IACP AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION
Sponsored by Thomson Reuters, the award for Excellence in Criminal Investigations recognizes quality achievement and innovation in managing and conducting criminal investigations with the goal of sharing information to advance the art and science of criminal investigations. Evaluation criteria are based on (1) innovation in the development or enhancement of investigative techniques, (2) the significance of the contribution to the advancement of the art or science of criminal investigation, and (3) exceptional achievement in managing or conducting a criminal investigation.
Winner: College Station (TX) Police Department
Caption: From left to right, from the College Station (TX) Police Department, unless otherwise noted: Larry Johnson, Assistant Chief; James Woodward, Sergeant; Chief Mark Marshall, IACP President; Patrick McCarthy, Detective; Lesley Hicks, Lieutenant; Jeff Capps, Chief; Travis Lacox, Detective; Liza Phillips, Detective; Steve Rubley, Vice President, Thomson Reuters
The City of College Station has a population of approximately 95,000 and is the home of Texas A&M University. The police department has 125 sworn officers which includes a Criminal Investigative Division consisting of one lieutenant, two sergeants, nine detectives, two special investigators, a crime scene investigator, and a detective assigned to the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force. During 2010, the detective division was assigned 1982 cases to investigate, including three complex homicide cases.
As with many small and medium size agencies, the work load was heavy and investigators relied on limited resources and “thinking outside the box” to solve crimes. As outlined in their award application, the work of the detectives is showcased in the investigation and resolution of three capital murder homicides, as well as all the other cases assigned to the Division.
In the first of the murder investigations, the detectives successfully identified the suspects with practically no initial information other than a video recording from the convenience store where the homicide occurred. Initially the suspects were not recognizable. A video enhancement system recently purchased using federal grant funds immediately helped provide information that lead to a primary suspect. Location of the primary suspect’s vehicle revealed the suspect and three relatives. One detective was quick to observe that the tennis shoes of one of the relatives in the car matched those worn by one of the suspects in the murder. A later search of the primary suspect’s residence uncovered the murder weapon, as well as evidence of other crimes. The case was solved in 30 hours and the suspects were linked to another convenience store robbery in a nearby town and a recent unreported home invasion robbery. In the days that followed, additional evidence was obtained using jail phone calls, which identified additional suspects who were subsequently prosecuted.
In the second homicide case, detectives were called out on a possible kidnapping. The witness stated that the suspect and victim were last seen at a Wal-Mart parking lot, but were gone when he returned to the vehicle. The detectives “pinged” the suspect’s telephone and determined he had left the city and was traveling north. Fort Worth area police were alerted and were able to locate and attempt to stop the vehicle. The suspect fled at high speed until he collided with a police vehicle. He was injured but survived and his vehicle was severely damaged. In order to perform a thorough forensic examination, the detectives needed to transport the vehicle back to College Station, a four hour trip. To protect against possible loss of evidence, the detectives had the car “shrink wrapped” and transported by a freight company to College Station. Upon return, crime scene investigators used a wireless microscopic camera, called a Pro Scope, to uncover evidence of the murder. The victim’s body was found the same day at another location where the suspect had dumped it.
The final murder involved the stabbing death of a mother and her 9-year old son, who was still alive when police responded to a 9-1-1 call. The most likely suspect was a homeless man who was known to have a cell phone. His phone was “pinged” and he was located at his mother’s home. At the crime scene, before the victim was removed, the Pro Scope located fibers under her finger nails that may have been lost during transportation of the body. These fibers, along with other evidence and further investigation, led to the suspect being charged with the murder.
The Police Investigative Operations committee believes the hard work of the City of College Station Investigative Division serves as an excellent example of best practices, innovation, and “thinking outside the box” within an Investigative Division of a medium size police department.
1st Runner Up: ICE Homeland Security Investigations "Operation In Our Sites"
Caption: From left to right, from ICE HSI, unless otherwise noted: Special Agent in Charge (SAC) Denver David Marwell; Unit Chief William Ross; Director Lev Kubiak, National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center; Assistant Director Operations Janice Ayala; SAC Buffalo James Spero; SAC Detroit Brian Moskowitz; SAC Los Angeles Claude Arnold; SAC Houston Robert Rutt; SAC Tampa Susan McCormick; SAC Seattle Leigh Winchell; SAC Newark Andy McLees; SAC New York James Hayes; Deputy Assistant Director Operations John Connolly; Steve Rubley, Vice President, Thomson Reuters; Chief Mark Marshall, IACP President
The National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center in Arlington, Virginia led a nationwide effort entitled “Operation in Our Sites” from June 2010 through March 2011 that used federal warrants to seize and forfeit internet domain names involved in the sale and distribution of counterfeit goods and copyright infringing streaming video. In addition to seizing the domain names, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Special Agents also seized the assets of the violators and web content from their servers, and prosecuted individuals engaged in illegal activities.
Operation In Our Sites specifically targeted websites and their operators that distribute counterfeit and pirated items over the internet, including luxury goods, electronics, pharmaceuticals, and products that threaten public health and safety, as well as pirated movies, television shows, music, and software.
Their investigation resulted in the seizure of 169 domains. The total dollar amount lost to the suspects is only partially recorded in the back accounts that were seized. Perhaps a better indicator of the far reaching impact of the investigation is the fact that one site seized had over 38 million “hits” documented by the HSI agents before being completely closed down.
While suspects can easily create another domain name, it is estimated that it takes 8-18 months to set up a new website, make its presence known to new customers, and have it display among the first few results when using search engines.
For many years, individuals associated with overseas websites in particular have operated with impunity, knowing they were outside the reach of United States law enforcement authorities. The Police Investigative Operations Committee selected this task force for recognition because of its development of best practices for closing down illegal websites, both domestically and internationally. They fostered working relationships with two of the largest internet registry corporations located in the U.S., who control over half of the world’s internet domains. These corporations now accept U.S. obtained search warrants, subpoenas, and court orders and have shown willingness to assist law enforcement authorities in closing down the domain names.
2nd Runner Up: Los Angeles Sheriff's Department - Special Problems Unit, Transit Service Bureau
Caption: From left to right, from LASD, unless otherwise noted: Sergeant Chris Meadows; Commander Patrick Jordan; Chief Mark Marshall, IACP President; Sergeant Augie Pando; Steve Rubley, Vice President, Thomson Reuters
The mission of the Special Problems Unit of the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department’s Transit Service Bureau is to reduce graffiti on the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s public transit system. The Special Problems Unit consists of 17 deputy sheriffs, 2 sergeants, and 1 lieutenant for all of Los Angeles County.
The cost of graffiti in any large metropolitan area of the United States reaches into the millions of dollars a year for each jurisdiction. Yet, the investigation of vandalism is usually not a high priority. Consequently, manpower and funding are always an issue for both supervisors and detectives working these cases.
Every jurisdiction is always looking for new ideas and new approaches to combat graffiti vandalism. These cases are often without witnesses and it is extremely difficult to get a criminal filing based on circumstantial evidence.
The Special Problems Unit explored a series of new approaches to assist in conducting efficient, effective investigations while utilizing limited resources. They focused not only on enforcement, but also on education and partnerships with outside law enforcement agencies. They developed a specific database to share with other agencies to shorten the time associated with identifying chronic tagging crews. The program also documents each act of graffiti damage and compiles total damages attributed to a particular suspect or crew, which assists in making a strong case for filing to the district attorney.
Their strategy involved prosecuting an entire tagging crew as an organized gang rather than one suspect at a time. They utilized search warrants to search social media sites as a means to identify a majority, if not all the members, of a crew and to document that these groups identify themselves as a gang, enabling the use of gang enhancement laws to prosecute the crimes as felonies or to enhance jail time.
Using this approach, the cases became complex investigations as opposed to standard vandalism charges. The net effect was enforcement resulting in the tagging crews being convicted of felonies instead of misdemeanors, receiving significant sentences and sending a message to other tagging crews that they would be charged with felonies if caught.
During 2010, four significant tagging crews were arrested and prosecuted. The Special Problems Unit executed a total of 414 technology search warrants, 67 location search warrants, and 96 probation/parole searches resulting in 183 felony and 173 misdemeanor arrests and $1.3 million in cleared damages.
The Police Investigative Operation Committee compliments these detectives and supervisors for their innovations and development of best practices that can be easily applied by other jurisdictions in the continuing battle with graffiti vandalism crimes.