Reducing Gun Violence through Integrated Forensic Evidence Collection, Analysis and Sharing, New Jersey, 2001-2022

This study examined the use of firearms related evidence to enhance violent crime investigations in New Jersey. Major urban police agencies conduct crime gun intelligence programs. However, this New Jersey project was a statewide, multi-jurisdictional effort. The New Jersey State Police (NJSP) initiated this project in 2006 as part of a Governor mandated comprehensive crime reduction strategy. Unlike similar firearms violence strategies, over a 15-year period, this project evolved into a program of the ongoing initiatives that often-produced short-term wins that incrementally changed the business processes and investigative culture within participating agencies. The study worked to illustrate (such as fusion and real time crime centers) that investigative entities across all levels of government - local, state, and federal - to work together to support violent crime suppression efforts. The study sought to demonstrate the importance of fusing firearms forensic evidence such as ballistics imaging with locally available information, such as arrest and incident data on a statewide basis.