New Crime Gun Intelligence Center aims to prevent violent crime in northeast Ohio

CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) - A new effort to solve violent crimes here in northeast Ohio was in the national spotlight Tuesday.

19 Investigates was there as U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland and ATF Director Steven Dettelbach toured a new Crime Gun Intelligence Center (CGIC) in Cleveland.

We looked into how it helps with crime prevention by helping investigators track down the most dangerous criminals.

Cutting edge technology helps trace the guns and investigators help piece together who was behind the trigger.

“CGICs help investigators to generate leads to get shooters off the streets and dismantle the trafficking networks that supply violent criminals with their guns,” U.S. Attorney General Garland said.

The U.S. Attorney General highlighted these resources at the new Crime Gun Intelligence Center.

Much of this technology is already in use.

What’s new is the centralizing of data and how extra resources help even out the playing field for investigators dealing with shootings in small towns and bigger cities.

We asked if it feels like they’re just chipping away at the problem as shootings continue to happen every day.

The U.S. Attorney General said it’s getting results.

“This is not just a chipping away, to get the largest reduction in homicides in 30 years. That’s enormous. So I’m hopeful. We are not going to rest,” he said.

Violent crime this year is down nationwide and in the city of Cleveland.

But Euclid Police Chief Scott Meyer said that reduction is not felt everywhere.

“I understand that nationally, they’re showing those statistics, but our almost vulnerable communities. They’re being plagued daily by gun violence. And I think that we really owe these communities to do things like this, these very proactive things where we work, you know, it collaboratively to take guns off the street,” Chief Meyer said.

He’s now leading a department still reeling from the loss of one of their own officers, who was shot and killed last month.

“Officer Jacob Derbin was an amazing young man. He’s a hero,” Chief Meyer said.

Gun violence continues to be felt by our community and those sworn to protect and serve.

Preventing violent crime is a big goal of this intel center.

Cuyahoga County Sheriff Harold Pretel is optimistic it will help by focusing on repeat shooters.

“We can identify them locate them, arrest them, prosecute them. Removing them from the cycle of violence is going to make for safer communities,” he said.

U.S. Attorney Rebecca Lutzko sees the same guns used to commit violent crimes time after time.

So they’re trying to stop those gun traffickers too.

“And sometimes they involve the illegal sale from the same or of the same recycled gun. Either way such crimes happen without regard to where one county line or one city limit ends and the next begins,” she said.

More than 30 federal, state and local law enforcement agencies will partner up in this new CGIC.