This report presents the findings and methodology of an evaluation of the implementation and impact of the Kansas City Crime Gun Intelligence Center (CGIC) for the years 2017 and 2020, a multi-agency approach for collecting, managing, analyzing, and using information or intelligence derived from or associated with firearms.
The CGIC business model involves collaborative partnerships among local agencies in addressing gun-related crime. CGIC activities include the comprehensive collection of ballistic evidence, timely entry and correlation, crime-gun tracing, ATF analysis, identification of NIBIN leads, collaboration between local and federal law enforcement agencies, and prosecution of offenders who commit gun crimes. One section of this report presents an overview of population characteristics and violent-crime trends in Kansas City. The evaluation found that overall, the implementation of the Kansas City CGIC resulted in several changes and benefits. There was strong evidence that the number of acquisitions/inputs into NIBIN increased significantly after September 2018, and this trend was sustained over time. This also resulted in an increased number of leads produced. There is strong evidence that NIBIN leads were produced quicker after the implementation of CGIC. Based on interviews with detectives, NIBIN leads were helpful and very helpful in about 31 percent of homicide cases, neutral on almost 58 percent of cases, and unhelpful in 10.5 percent of cases. Overall, interviewees were optimistic about the utility of CGIC in improving investigations; however, they noted that CGIC is one piece of a larger puzzle, suggesting that the eventual impact of CGIC in Kansas City is unclear. Still, there is among stakeholders a desire to continue the development of strategies, with CGIC products having a central role. 23 figures, 16 tables, and 23 references