The Rocky Mount Police Department has taken the lead on a new initiative to address gun violence with its ballistic identification technology.
The department is now home to IBIS (Integrated Ballistic Identification System).
Neighboring agencies who shared in the cost of the system include:
- Wilson Police Department
- Greenville Police Department
- Nash County Sheriff’s Office
- Edgecombe County Sheriff’s Office
- ATF (Alcohol Tobacco and Firearm)
IBIS is a database expected to help the Rocky Mount Police Department and surrounding agencies to link crime quicker, including those who might not have been previously connected. This evidence, which can be expressed in simple terms as a ‘DNA for shell casings,’ will also help the prosecution of crimes when cases go to trial.
Previously, the Rocky Mount Police Department utilized an IBIS system in Fayetteville, NC. Now, the turnaround time is expected to be advantageous for the department and its partners as they work to keep the city and surrounding regions safer.
Said Rocky Mount Police Chief George Robinson:
“We are committed to working with all local law enforcement agencies in this region to nourish a safer community and reduce violent crime.
“This technology will generate real time leads to gun crimes and strengthen prosecution of firearm offenders in this community.”
Read more about this system, being integrated by law enforcement across the United States, at www.atf.gov/firearms/automated-firearms-ballistics-technology.
Source: Tameka Kenan-Norman and Jessie Nunery, City of Rocky Mount
