8/21/2007
Media Contact:
Margie Smith-Simmons, [317] 327-3690 |
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Mayor announces plan to catch burglars using Crime Lab DNA technology
Focus on DNA left by burglars at crime scenes could net violent criminals as well
Indianapolis - Mayor Bart Peterson today joined Sheriff Frank J. Anderson, Chief Michael Spears and Mike Medler, director of the Indianapolis-Marion County Forensic Services Agency (Crime Lab), to announce the “Indianapolis Burglary DNA Project” – a proactive DNA-based crime fighting initiative that will be funded through the Mayor’s comprehensive crime package that was passed with bipartisan council support last month.
Generally, the focus in using DNA technology by law enforcement has been targeted at crimes such as homicide, rape and sexual assault. However, several communities have been successful in targeting property crime such as burglary.
The Indianapolis Burglary DNA Project will be modeled after the Denver DNA Burglary Case Project which is the leader among five sites selected by the National Institute of Justice in late 2005. Denver participated in the national program model along with Los Angeles, Topeka, Orange County and Phoenix.
“It’s been proven that catching burglars not only reduces the burglary rate, but it can also prevent crimes by catching bad actors who might later commit more violent offenses,” Peterson said.
From January through April 2007, IMPD recorded 3,131 residential burglaries with a clearance rate of 10.54%. Burglary has the lowest clearance rate of any index crime. The Indianapolis Burglary DNA Project will begin by selecting 350 burglary cases from IMPD’s North District.
The Crime Lab will work the cases as a special project in conjunction with IMPD and will dedicate two forensic scientists to the project and utilize other forensic personnel as needed. The goals are to use the DNA database to identify unknown burglary suspects and prepare the case for prosecution, as well as identify those criminals who have documented their potential to engage in more violent behavior.
Denver's Success. Denver noted the following successes through the Denver DNA Burglary Case Project:
- Identified over 40 “prolific burglars” since the project started in November 1, 2005 (a prolific burglar commits an average of 243 cases per year);
- Burglary cases where DNA is recovered, the prosecution rate is five times higher than cases without DNA;
- Average prison sentence for burglars linked to DNA is more than 12 years (compared to six months without DNA evidence);
- A recent case after police arrested one man – who later admitted to over 1,000 burglaries – the burglary rate in one Denver neighborhood dropped by about 40%.
“By investing efforts toward burglary investigation and the collection of physical evidence for DNA analysis or fingerprint identification, Denver not only solved numerous burglaries and stopped career burglars who may have committed over 200 burglaries a year, they also identified other convicted felons in the process,” Medler said. “In other words, investigating burglaries has led to the identification of convicted violent offenders who escalated their offenses to sexual assault and other violent crimes.”
“The Indianapolis Burglary DNA project gives our officers an important weapon in fighting the war on crime,” said Anderson. “It is both proactive and aggressive and sends a strong message to criminals that their actions will not be tolerated in Marion County.”
Recent changes that make Crime Lab world-class. The Crime Lab is an integral part of the criminal justice system in Marion County that consists of 62 forensic scientists, crime scene specialists and forensic technicians who daily gather, process and interpret the evidence gathered during criminal investigations.
The Crime Lab was recently designated the 35th lab in the world, and the first laboratory in Indiana, to achieve the American Society of Crime Lab Directors/Laboratory Accreditation Board International Accreditation. Accreditation ensures that the standards of forensic science are being applied with the highest standards of practice in the field of forensic science.
Mayor Peterson, as chair of the Criminal Justice Planning Council, has taken a personal hand to ensure that Indianapolis has a world class crime lab. Last year, additional crime fighting funding provided additional resources to the Crime Lab in response to an increase in serious crime and jail overcrowding. Grant funding of $300,000 was also obtained to improve the laboratory infrastructure.
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Examples of How DNA Solves Violent Crimes:
While the resolution of any criminal case is a team effort involving many agencies, the short synopses listed below are just a few examples of cases where the work of the Crime Lab was particularly helpful in identifying the suspect:
- In April 2006, a 24 year old elementary school teacher was abducted from her school parking lot in Washington Township; she was raped and robbed. Evidence was collected at the scene by a crime scene specialist and at the hospital by a nurse. A DNA analyst identified a subject through the use of the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) in early 2007. The same subject was identified by the Crime Lab as having abducted, raped and robbed a 27 year old female from a downtown parking garage in February 2007. A latent fingerprint examiner also identified latent fingerprints left by the subject in the April 2006 incident.
- In late June 2006, a 15-year old Pike Township female was abducted after she got off the school bus and was walking toward her home. She was raped and sodomized repeatedly by her abductor. The crime scene was processed by a crime scene specialist and latent fingerprints were recovered on the day of the incident. In July 2006, an examiner identified latent fingerprints which had been left at the scene by the suspect who was subsequently arrested by police and charged with rape and criminal deviate conduct.
- In March 2007, a 14-year old elementary student was abducted from her bus stop on the near Eastside; she was beaten and raped. The scene was processed and evidence was collected by a crime scene specialist. In April 2007, a DNA analyst got a CODIS hit and identified the suspect who was subsequently arrested and charged by IMPD.
- In May 2007, a 76-year old woman was followed home from the downtown public library by an unknown male who forced his way into her home. The victim was beaten and raped. The crime scene was processed and evidence was collected by the Crime Lab. In June 2007, a Crime Lab analysis resulted in a CODIS hit and identified the suspect who was subsequently charged by the IMPD.
- Cold Case: In September 1985, a 19-year old female was found beaten, raped, stabbed and strangled to death in the 900 block of Pennsylvania St. In July 2007, a forensic analysis resulted in a CODIS hit on this cold case and identified the suspect who is currently serving time in prison for crimes committed in another state. The suspect has been charged with rape and murder by the IMPD.
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