PHILADELPHIA – In 2011, New York City saw a rise in gun violence, with an alarming 30 percent of incidents involving youth crews – gangs often comprised of grade school-aged children. The next year, the newly-formed Juvenile Justice Division of the New York Police Department (NYPD) Community Affairs Bureau began investigating youth crews through emerging technologies, social media and data analytics, and on-the-ground police work.

The results were immediate, and painted a troubling picture: a case model was developed that identified 315 youth crew neighborhood groups with more than 6,200 members across the city participating in firearm and felony assaults, robbery and burglary. But this intelligence also led to the arrest of key youth group members responsible for these crimes, and at the end of 2012, shooting incidents dropped nine percent.

The innovative approach to combat youth crew violence through technology and traditional investigative methods has earned the NYPD Juvenile Justice Division the 2013 International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP)/Thomson Reuters Award for Excellence in Criminal Investigation.

The award is sponsored by the Fraud Prevention & Investigations business of Thomson Reuters, whose solutions include the CLEAR^® investigative suite, a powerful, next-generation investigative suite that investigators can use to research people and organizations suspected of criminal activity.

“The IACP congratulates the New York Police Department. The exceptional investigative work performed by the New York Police Department through the use of social media, data analytics, and other emerging technologies resulted in a reduction of youth crew gun violence within the city,” said Craig Steckler, president of the IACP. “This is a prime example of the incredible outcome that can occur when law enforcement is innovative and thorough in its investigative techniques.”

The first runner-up is the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD) for its investigation of a criminal conspiracy where a Las Vegas businessman exerted control over a property management company in an effort to influence area homeowners associations to defraud more than $75 million from residents. From 2007 to 2012, LVMPD, with the help of federal investigators, uncovered the complex scheme, recovering 750,000 documents and securing more than 15 terabytes of data – at the time, the largest volume of evidence recovered by the Las Vegas division of the FBI. Through the organized police work of the LVMPD, $28 million in restitution, to date, has been agreed to be paid to victims, with this figure likely to climb through impending legal proceedings.

The second runner-up, the Kansas City, Kansas Police Department (KCKPD) Criminal Investigations Bureau, was recognized for an innovative program launched in January 2013 that uses data and social media analytics to disrupt prolific offenders in their community. The KCKPD developed a mobile application to capture intelligence from patrol officers on the beat, enabling them to identify one to two key offenders each month that they believe pose the most significant risk to the community. With access to this data, investigators and analysts have been able to identify, investigate and arrest the most active offenders. As a result, serious crime in Kansas City, Kansas is at a historic 20-year low, with homicides at a 40-year low.

“Each of these cases underscores that successful policing is achieved when ingenuity, technology and good, traditional police work come together to make our communities safer,” said Andy Russell, vice president, Fraud Prevention & Investigations, Thomson Reuters. “On behalf of the Fraud Prevention and Investigation team at Thomson Reuters and the IACP, I am proud to recognize the excellence demonstrated by the New York Police Department, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department and Kansas City, Kansas Police Department.”

The IACP Award for Excellence in Criminal Investigation is given to a law enforcement agency, law enforcement unit, task force or inter-agency task force in recognition of exceptional innovation and excellence in the area of criminal investigations. Judging focuses on contributions to the advancement of the art or science of criminal investigations, and innovations in the development or enhancement of investigative techniques. Learn more at http://www.theiacp.org.  

Thomson Reuters
Thomson Reuters is the world's leading source of intelligent information for businesses and professionals. We combine industry expertise with innovative technology to deliver critical information to leading decision makers in the financial and risk, legal, tax and accounting, intellectual property and science and media markets, powered by the world's most trusted news organization. With headquarters in New York and major operations in London and Eagan, Minnesota, Thomson Reuters employs approximately 60,000 people and operates in over 100 countries. For more information, go to http://thomsonreuters.com.

IACP
The International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) is a dynamic organization that serves as the professional voice of law enforcement. Building on our past success, the IACP addresses cutting edge issues confronting law enforcement though advocacy, programs and research, as well as training and other professional services. IACP is a comprehensive professional organization that supports the law enforcement leaders of today and develops the leaders of tomorrow. Visit the IACP Web site at http://www.theiacp.org.