TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) – “Something has to be done to stir us as a community to say, 'This is important.'
What steps are being taken to address the issues that lead to gun violence? Issues like gun theft and illegal gun sales through dummy purchases are top of mind for many in public safety, like Tallahassee Police Chief Lawrence Revell. Revell said solving the problem requires public buy-in.
But police officials say they are also taking other steps to address the problem: They are investing in ways to solve gun crimes more quickly.
About a month ago, TPD announced that it was now using the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN) program.
Administered by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF), the program uses cutting-edge technology to capture and compare images of ballistic evidence, such as shell casings, from shooting scenes and recovered firearms, allowing law enforcement to quickly find connections between cases and identify potential suspects.
Within a few months of implementing the technology, detectives had received more than 65 leads in the case, TPD officials said.
“The faster we can gather evidence, the faster we can solve the crime,” Revell said.
Gun violence is the focus of WCTV's new investigative series, “Tracking the Trigger.”
Earlier this week, the series detailed a variety of issues related to gun violence, including gun theft and a phenomenon known as dummy buying. The report highlighted that many of the guns stolen in Tallahassee are taken from unlocked cars.
People with first-hand experience of gun violence, such as local law enforcement officials and gun safety advocate Felicia Gilyard, say they want everyone to take the issue seriously.
In its first story published Wednesday, WCTV Investigates described the death of Gilyard's granddaughter, Marlacia Kitchen, as a case of gun violence. Kitchen, 17, was shot and killed in October 2022 at an apartment in Tallahassee's Southwood neighborhood, her grandmother said.
Revell and other local police, including Jeff Thayer, Resident Agent in Charge of the ATF's Tallahassee field office, believe technology like NIBIN can play a big role in their mission.
“NIBIN is a very important tool that ATF has developed to aim arrows or lasers at potential trouble spots,” Thayer said.
Sayre told WCTV Investigates that NIBIN doesn't necessarily target people, but rather targets guns through cartridges.
He said this was a revolutionary step for investigations.
“Every time a bullet is fired from a gun, it leaves a special mark or an indentation on the cartridge, and by linking that with computers and technology, it may be possible to link two shootings or two incidents together and provide some clues to detectives and investigators,” Thayer explained.
An ATF spokesperson told WCTV Investigates that TPD is a recent addition to the NIBIN network.
“We constantly provide guidance to other police departments and sheriff's offices across the state of Florida,” said Jason Medina, public information officer for the ATF's Tampa Field Division. “NIBIN undoubtedly involves a significant investment in budget, personnel and training. The benefits of being able to derive leads by digitally comparing cartridges from guns used in crimes against existing databases are clear and positive.”
Leon County Sheriff Walt McNeil said the LCSO is also using NIBIN in collaboration with TPD and the ATF to solve more crimes in the area, which he said makes it easier to keep track of what guns are being used throughout the county.
Revell believes another benefit of NIBIN is the reduction in investigation time. Since the department implemented NIBIN, he said, the time it takes to process some evidence has gone from several weeks to two or three days.
Revell said he was able to link some cases together through NIBIN, as well as see how guns were traveling and being used in different crimes.
One example is the incident in which TPD Officer Caleb Babb was shot in the line of duty in September 2023. Babb was seriously injured after responding to an overnight home invasion on Sandpiper Street.
John Darius Wright and Rahim Sanders have both been charged with attempted murder in connection with the incident. Tyrell Guinee has been charged as an accomplice as the getaway driver. Wright also faces a second count of attempted murder in connection with a separate home invasion that occurred the same day.
Revell said NIBIN helped speed up the arrests of all three suspects after Babb's shooting: Within 24 hours of Babb's shooting, TPD was able to link the gun that injured Babb to another incident.
“Ultimately, we were able to solve these cases and arrest all three suspects involved,” said Toronto police Sgt.
Revell said the three suspects in Babb's case were arrested within three days.
“Without that technology, it would never have happened so quickly,” Revell said.
Continue reading “Tracking the Trigger”
Others are trying to contribute to gun safety.
Gun dealer Charlie Strickland said he works to prevent gun violence from the moment he decides to put a gun in a buyer's hands.
Gun stores in Gadsden County are educating customers about safety and offering lockboxes for cars and homes in hopes of curbing problems such as dummy purchases and guns being stolen from unlocked cars, he said.
His sentiments are echoed by TPD and LCSO. Over the years, the two organizations have overseen public awareness campaigns and the distribution of firearm locks, all because it's important for gun owners to do their part to prevent guns from finding their way into local crime snares, Revell said.
“I don't believe we need legislation that would hold gun owners legally accountable if their guns are stolen, but we're probably getting close to that point, and I don't want to get to that point,” the police chief said. “We have to do something to create enough of a stir as a community to say, 'This is important. We're not going to do this again.'”
Gilyard also seeks to empower and inspire people in Tallahassee, helping them understand the devastation gun violence causes to those left behind and wanting the community to care as much as she does about preventing more of it.
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