Columbia police could expedite shooting investigations with new technology

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Columbia Police Department has responded to at least 68 shootings so far in 2020, and getting shooters off of the streets could soon become easier for the department.

The city could soon have a memorandum of understanding with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms for a National Integrated Ballistic Information Network which would help the police department.

"It is a computer system with software and associated hardware that we can take ballistic evidence from crime scenes and put that inside of this instrument and take photographs, microscopic photographs of, then upload that imagery to a national database," said Assistant Police Chief Jeremiah Hunter.

Experts with the ATF can use those photos to prove whether the same gun was used in multiple shootings, which can lead CPD to suspects. Police can also test fire recovered or stolen firearms to determine if they had been used in a shooting.

If the Columbia City Council approves the agreement at Monday's meeting, the department could start using the system within a matter of days. The agreement is for six to 12 months, and if CPD proves that the equipment is needed in Columbia, they can extend it.

The Boone County Sheriff's Department would also be able to use the system for violence in the county.

The technology would not cost anything to the city or police department because it is funded by the ATF.

Employees from the ATF would come to the department and train officers on how to use the system as well as install it.

Right now, the police department is sending ballistic evidence to the ATF in St. Louis or Kansas city.

"The problem is the turnaround on that, it could be three weeks, it could be a month or two, whereas proving it's a necessity for us to have it here in Columbia we could have a turnaround in a matter of hours if not the next day," Hunter said.

Hunter said the department should not have any issues proving the technology is needed in Columbia because of the number of shootings and homicides there have been recently.

At least eight people have died in shootings in Columbia so far this year.

Shaunda Hamilton with Boone County Community Against Violence lost her 18-year-old daughter Nadria Wright in a shooting in September of 2019.

Hamilton works with the police department to get officers in communication with families of victims.

She said she believes the technology would be helpful to police but also families who lose someone to gun violence.

"Everyone knows that when you're going through a process like this that you never know how long it's going to take," Hamilton said.

She said if expediting even one step of an investigation can be done, it could be beneficial to families, especially once they are in court.

"Going through a process like this already feels like you're being victimized again as you're going through this court process," she said.

"I know for me every time that we are getting ready to have court, you know, I get really unsettled about it even though at this point now it's not a new process for me.

She explained that it can be difficult when evidence of any type is not back from labs in time for court dates.

"Sometimes, you know, if things aren't back from a lab, or things haven't, you know, then we have to move the court date, or we have to extend because they need all the evidence to be returned and they need all the results," she said.

Hamilton also said the technology could help shave time off of investigations for past cases.

"It could take off months, you know, for another case that they haven't had any type of movement on because we have it right here," she said.

Dan Viets is a criminal defense attorney in Columbia. He also said it is common for court cases to be pushed back because they are waiting on evidence from laboratories.

"If a defendant is sitting in jail all that time it can be a terrible thing. It's certainly better for everyone involved if we have the evidence as quickly as possible. In many cases a defendant may be exonerated by this technology," he said.

He said physical evidence like markings on shell casings can be important in court, but it does have limitations.

He said the technology would not be of use if guns that do not eject shell casings, like revolvers, were used.

"And even if you can identify beyond reasonable doubt that a shell casing came from a certain gun you may have problems proving who fired that gun," Viets said. "Knowing that it came from that gun doesn't prove who fired that gun."

He also said it could be argued in court that the technology is not as foolproof as it claims to be.

Viets said he does hope if the department gets the technology it will help identify who has been involved in violent crime in Columbia.