Public Safety

Criminal Apprehension

Statewide Outcome(s):

The Bureau of Criminal Apprehension  supports the following statewide outcome(s).

People in Minnesota are safe.

Context:

The Bureau of Criminal Apprehension has four main components that work to ensure that justice is served.

·        Investigations assists local law enforcement agencies with complex, multi-jurisdictional or long-term felony cases as well as consulting about state-of-the art techniques and sophisticated technologies. This Division also houses the Predatory Offender Registration Unit, the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, the Financial Crimes Task Force as well as the Minnesota Joint Analysis Center.

·        Forensic Science Service operates the state crime lab where scientific examinations of physical evidence collected by law enforcement across the state are conducted. When requested, Forensic Science Services will also gather evidence at homicide crime scenes. The laboratory findings contribute to solving crime, convicting the guilty and exonerating the innocent.

·        Minnesota Justice Information Services (MNJIS) collects, manages and provides access to criminal justice information with a focus on integrating and sharing data electronically. The goal is to ensure that complete, timely and accurate information is available to make critical decisions during the criminal justice process.

·        Administrative Services provides training, notification networks for various public safety purposes, the Operations Center and administrative support for the superintendent’s office. These divisions serve all criminal justice professionals across the state and provide connectivity to the FBI and NLETS (data from other states). Funding sources are the general, trunk highway and special revenue funds as well as federal funds and grants.

Strategies:

·        Investigations has 56 special agents; half of which are assigned to ten field offices around the State to ensure timely, effective responses to requests for assistance. The Investigations Division provides services in specialized areas that most local law enforcement agencies cannot support at the local level, so many BCA agents have developed expertise in specialized areas and provide it in support of local agency partners.

·        Forensic Science Service scientists analyze evidence in the laboratory in the technical areas of drug identification, trace evidence (including arson), identification of firearms and tool marks, latent fingerprints, questioned documents, toxicology, nuclear DNA and mitochondrial DNA.

·        MNJIS ensures data in over a dozen state and federal repositories is available electronically on a 24x7 basis and works to integrate that data to make it more useful to those authorized to access it. MNJIS provides training on access to and the appropriate use of the data and audits agencies to ensure that they are in compliance with authorized use policies.

·        Administrative Services offers criminal justice professionals current and timely training to ensure that they have the most up-to-date techniques and tools available. Administrative Services hosts the Missing and Unidentified Persons Clearinghouse, the AMBER Alert System and the Crime Alert Network to provide assistance in finding individuals and notifying the public of possible criminal activity. The BCA Operations Center is the single, 24x7 answering point for natural disasters and man-made emergencies to connect local government with access to state agency resources.

·        All parts of the Bureau interact with criminal justice agencies across the State, the FBI and others to ensure that justice in Minnesota is served. A comprehensive, strategic planning process will take place in Fall 2012 to better define performance measures and outcomes.

Results:

·        Investigations provide timely, effective assistance when requested by local partner agencies. It also consults on the use of state-of-the-art technologies when requested.

·        Forensic Science Services laboratory findings are accepted by the courts in Minnesota. These results support prosecution of crimes ranging from DWI to sexual assaults to homicide. An effective quality program produces laboratory results that are both trusted by and accepted by the criminal justice system.

·        MNJIS systems and services ensure more data is electronically available and in an integrated format. Manual and/or paper processes are reduced while data accuracy and efficiency are increased. Access and use of data are captured in an audit trail which is used to conduct triennial reviews of each agency resulting in more transparency and compliance.

·        Administrative Services continued its successful AMBER Alert program by providing notices that resulted in the safe recovery of two girls. It hosted 290 training classes with 6,745 participants in both classroom and on-line settings.

Performance Measures Notes:

 *Reaccreditation due on 12/9/2014