LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. — This week, the Gwinnett County Police Department announced a new gun crime unit to combat gun violence across the county.
While police said violent crime was down overall last year, recent tragedies involving young people prompted the department to launch the initiative.
"Through analysis of reports coming in, we determined that 83% of gun crimes in Gwinnett did not involve anyone being hurt or killed," Sgt. Jennifer Richter explained. "But we thought if we could impact those majority incidents, maybe we could prevent more tragic incidents down the road."
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As a result, two dedicated investigators will track gun violence in the county, including shootings where no one was hurt. Investigators will use technology like the Integrated Ballistic Identification System (IBIS) to analyze shell casings collected at crime scenes, and findings are uploaded to the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN).
Because the casings have markings "unique to the gun that fired it," the network can scan for matches in the system, helping investigators link guns and potential suspects to cases. Guns collected off the street can also be test-fired and run for possible matches.
"I see that a lot of cases are connected to one firearm. So if you can focus on that individual or that group, you can cut back on crime," Sgt. Brian Dorminy said. "A lot of these stray bullets hit innocent civilians, so that's the goal to get these type of individuals off the street."
The department has also been able to use the technology to determine the primary source of guns on the street. Police report 91% of guns stolen in Gwinnett County were taken out of vehicles.
To combat the issue, the community affairs department will offer firearm safety and security classes to Gwinnett residents with the first class scheduled for March 15. Residents can also get free gun locks at all precincts and at headquarters.