Real-time gun tracing and ballistics testing is the goal of a newly-formed Gun Intelligence Center in the Loop.
The federal, state, and local collaboration of agencies hopes to speed up the process of holding gun offenders accountable.
“In today’s world, we’ve got to be intelligence-led and technology-driven,” said Deputy U.S. Attorney General Lisa Monaco.
Monaco explained that the new Crime Gun Intelligence Center, or CGIC – at Jackson Boulevard and Wells Street – will expand on the center already maintained by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The ATF has a database of over 6 million pieces of ballistics evidence.
“The ability to squeeze every last piece of evidence and information out of a gun used at a crime, to help both track down the shooter and also figure out who the shooter’s supplier was for that firearm,” said ATF Director Steven Dettelbach.
Chicago Police Supt. Larry Snelling said the collaboration – which will be composed of 65 agents, officers, analysts, and prosecutors all under one roof working together to get shooters off the streets – will be focused on speed.
