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Handout_Statewide Crime HeadlinesSTATEWIDE CRIME HEADLINES ONE OF THE MOST VIOLENT YEARS IN CEDAR RAPIDS HISTORY -- Cedar Rapids Gazette — Dec. 28, 2014 • Eight homicides in six incidents, CR had not had more than three homicides since 2006 • 93 shootings, previous record was 64 in 2012 • 9 shooting arrests More gunshots reported in Cedar Rapids -- Cedar Rapids Gazette — Nov. 25, 2015 A Tuesday night report of gunshots, and the discovery of shell casings at the scene, brought to 91 the number of gun violence incidents so far this year in the city. The majority of gunfire incidents this year in the city have not claimed victims. According to statistics provided by public safety spokesmen Greg Buelow: • Persons shot: 27 • Structures shot: 30 • Cars shot: 12 • Shell casings located: 22 Cedar Rapids exploring partnerships to address gun violence -- Cedar Rapids Gazette — May 5, 2016 During a meeting of the Safe, Equitable and Thriving (SET) Communities Task Force on Thursday, Police Chief Wayne Jerman said he has exchanged emails this week with Dr. Corinne Peek -Asa, the Associate Dean for Research in the UI's College of Public Health. Jerman's comments came in response to a community organization, 1 Strong, asking the Cedar Rapids City Council to consider asking the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to investigate violence in the city as an epidemic. ... Cedar Rapids had only 29 incidents where someone was actually shot in 2015. Cedar Rapids' population is approximately 130,000. Shots fired, violent crime in Cedar Rapids up in first half of 2016 -- Cedar Rapids Gazette — July 16, 2016 Indeed, gun violence remains a prominent issue in Cedar Rapids. According to crirne statistics from the Cedar Rapids Police Department, there were more shots fired incidents during the first half of 2016 than the first six months of any previous year. Overall, the number of violent crimes in Cedar Rapids is up 6.5 percent, with 180 incidents reported in the first six months of this year, compared with 169 incidents during the same time last year. According to police data, there have been 50 shots fired incidents during the first six months of 2016. The first half of 2015 saw 41 shots fired calls and there were 46 such incidents through June of 2014. That leaves Cedar Rapids on pace to hit 100 shots fired incidents for the second year in a row. There have been three homicides in the first half of 2016, one more than in the first six months of 2015. Statistics also show a 9.6 percent increase in burglary reports for the first half of the year, going from 396 to 434. 2014 WAS A DEADLY YEAR FOR WATERLOO -- Waterloo/Cedar Falls Courier— March 22, 2015 Crime numbers released by the Waterloo Police Department show 2014 had the highest number of slayings in 20 years with six people the victim of homicide. 1 Looking back, Waterloo usually logs two or three homicides a year. In 2012, there were five, with four in 2013. 1993 holds the recent record with nine homicides, five of which remain unsolved. Homicides weren't the only crimes that showed increases last year. The total number of reported index crimes -- murder, robbery, rape, aggravated assault, burglary, larceny, and auto theft -- rose from 2,456 in 2013 to 2,729 in 2014, according to the police department's statistics. Police respond to several gunshots going off -- Waterloo/Cedar Falls Courier — April 24, 2016 Shotgun pellets pierced the front of a Waterloo home early Friday. It was one of about three shots fired calls police responded to Friday and Saturday. 1 wounded during shooting sprees in Waterloo -- Waterloo/Cedar Falls Courier— May 12, 2016 Andrew Spates, 40, of Waterloo, was shot multiple times with a shotgun as he sat in a car at Kwik Star. Four other people were apprehended later by Waterloo police in a related shooting. At about 8 a.m., police were called to a report of shots fired in the area of 1210 Columbia St. When police arrived, they found a house and vehicle had been struck by multiple bullets, but no one was injured. Two injured in Monday shooting -- Waterloo/Cedar Falls Courier — May 24, 2016 The identities and conditions of the victims weren't immediately available, but police said one is a man and the other is a woman and both were shot in the legs. Guns seized after bullets hit homes on July 4 -- Waterloo/Cedar Falls Courier -- July 6, 2016 Police have seized a number of firearms in connection with the investigation into Independence Day gunfire that damaged two homes. Details of the seizure weren't available, but authorities said several guns were seized during the search of a home stemming from the shooting. No arrests have been made in the investigation. 1 man killed, 2, injured in Waterloo shooting, police say -- Waterloo/Cedar Falls Courier— July 18, 2016 Authorities say a 21 -year-old man has died and two people have been wounded in a Waterloo shooting. SHOOTING `EVERY DAY' REQUIRES COMMUNITY RESPONSE -- Quad City Times — Sept. 19, 2015 • 125 shootings so far, more than 2014's total • 29 shooting arrests so far Davenport police investigate two shots fired calls Thursday -- Quad City Times — Nov. 19, 2015 With the two incidents Thursday the number of shooting incidents in Davenport now stands at 152. One wounded in Davenport shooting -- Quad City Times — Jan. 31, 2016 Friday's incident marks the 18th confirmed shots -fired call Davenport police have investigated in January. Including the woman in Friday's incident, six people have been wounded so far this year. Davenport targets gun violence; wants jail bond laws changed -- Quad City Times — March 17, 2016 2 After a spate of 168 shooting incidents in 2015, up from the previous year, the number has ramped up again this year, including 19 shootings and shots -fired calls in January alone. RESIDENTS REACT TO SHOOTINGS: 'We don't feel safe anymore' -- Quad City Times — March 19, 2016. Davenport police continue their investigation into the apparently separate shooting incidents, two more in a wave of violent crime that had the City Council pleading this week in a letter to the Iowa Judicial Branch for changes in how defendants are locked up. SIOUX CITY POLICE CONFIRM THIRD DRIVE-BY SHOOTING -- Sioux City Journal — July 9, 2015 A house in the 1500 block of Collins Street was hit by gunfire about 3:30 a.m. Thursday in what police said is the third drive-by shooting on the Westside within the past three weeks. Sioux City officer shot during Sunday morning investigation -- Sioux City Journal — Feb. 8, 2016 An armed suspect linked to a string of robberies and burglaries shot a Sioux City police officer early Sunday morning before shooting himself. Sunday was the first shooting in Sioux City in 2016. Three drive-by shootings reported Tuesday -- Des Moines Register— Dec. 2, 2015 Des Moines police responded to three reports of gunshots that hit houses and cars on the city's east side. . it's more evidence of an apparent uptick in gun violence since the city's suffered five deaths during three separate shootings in the past 10 days. 21 Des Moines homicides most since 1990 -- Des Moines Register— Jan. 5, 2016 If 2015 seemed like a particularly violent and deadly year for Des Moines, it's because it was. During the year, 21 people were slain within the Des Moines city limits — the most since 1990, which saw 23 homicides, Des Moines Police St. Paul Parizek said. The highest number the department has on record was 1978, when Des Moines had 27 homicides. Man dies in east Des Moines shooting, 6th homicide this year -- Des Moines Register— July 21, 2016 A man died of multiple gunshot wounds Thursday evening on Des Moines' east side, police said. Des Moines hit by 31 drive-bys in 6 months -- Des Moines Register— July 27, 2016 Through the end of June, 31 drive-by shootings were reported in the city. That's the most drive-bys through the first six months of any year since 2011. There isn't one cause, Des Moines police Sgt. Paul Parizek said. During the 1990s, drive-bys almost always involved gangs, but that has changed, he said. Some are still gang -related. Some involve drugs. Others stem from personal conflicts. 3 Dubuque police investigate 2 more shots -fired reports Wednesday --Telegraph Herald — Dec. 3, 2015 Dubuque police received two reports of shots fired Wednesday night, though only one has been confirmed. Baxter said the Lincoln Avenue shooting marks the 33rd confirmed shots -fired incident this year in Dubuque. Police reported 25 such incidents in both 2013 and 2014. The totals from 2009 to 2012 ranged from five to eight per year. Dubuque police investigating shots fired Thursday night -- Telegraph Herald — May 21, 2016 A police report stated six shell casings were recovered from the area, as well as a sweatshirt, a hat and a water bottle. Lt. Scott Baxter said this is the seventh confirmed report of gunfire in Dubuque in 2016. Last year, the city had 33 confirmed reports. Dubuque police investigate shot fired inside home -- Telegraph Herald — June 1, 2016 Dubuque police are investigating a report of a gunshot inside a residence early Sunday morning. No injuries were reported. A Dubuque police report said the report of gunfire came in at 3:28 a.m. Sunday for 675 W. 11th St. Lt. Scott Baxter said a shell casing was recovered from the scene and there was bullet damage to a door and closet in the home. Police believe there was a social gathering at the residence before the shot was fired, he said. Dubuque police, school and nonprofit officials meet to discuss violence prevention -- Telegraph Herald — June 22, 2016 More than 30 local law enforcement officials, school personnel and nonprofit providers met in Dubuque on Tuesday to discuss efforts to curb recent increases in gun violence. Police: Shots fired in downtown Dubuque -- Telegraph Herald — June 25, 2016 Police said a report of shots being fired Thursday night in the 1400 block of Bluff Street represents the 10th confirmed instance of gunfire in Dubuque in 2016. Police responded to a report of gunfire at about 11 p.m. Thursday near 1491 Bluff St. Shell casings, a knife and a small amount of marijuana were found at the scene, according to a police report. Baxter also confirmed an instance of gunfire on Friday, June 17, which was the ninth such instance in 2016. A person was shot and injured in that case. Dubuque gang leader, 11 others face charges -- Telegraph Herald — June 30, 2016 A suspected gang leader faces multiple charges for allegedly driving by a Dubuque home multiple times and threatening violence, just hours before people standing outside the residence were shot at. Police said those incidents are linked to a disturbance the day before that resulted in criminal charges for 10 other people. Masterpiece on the Mississippi TO: Michael C. Van Milligen City Manager FR: Mark M. Da!sing Chief of Police MEMORANDUM August 1, 2016 RE: Shots Fired INTRODUCTION This memo will briefly review the shots fired incidents in 2015 as well as those year to date for 2016. BACKGROUND With the uptick in shots fired calls the past few years, the department began to more closely track shots fired incidents. This tracking is not done via official computerized records of police calls for service, as we have determined this to be fairly inaccurate. Calls that come in as possible gunshots are sometimes determined to be some other noise (fireworks, vehicles, transformers, etc.) while other incidents come in and are logged as disturbances or other call types, and the fact that shots were fired isn't determined until officers arrive and investigate. Instead the department is manually tracking these calls. We are also more closely reviewing the calls to "confirm" the shots through physical or witness evidence. We have had to do this confirmation in part to eliminate unfounded complaints, which appear to have risen due in part to overall citizen awareness and the tendency to call in any suspicious noise. We also believe that occasionally some of the shots fired calls are fabricated. As an example of this, we have had anonymous, single calls of shots fired in an area, and multiple witnesses, including officers in some cases, were already present in the described area and did not hear the alleged shots. Why someone would do this is open for debate, but we are fairly confident that there are a number of false reports each year. In 2015 we had 33 confirmed shots fired calls, and 25 in each of 2014 and 2013. In the years prior to that the numbers were in the single digits, but the calls didn't get the same review as they currently do, so those numbers could be higher. To date in 2016 we are at 12 shots fired call. While so far in 2016 we have had 8 fewer incidents than this date in 2015, we do not take that for granted. During the summer months we are always more prepared for increases in shots fired calls as calls for service in general tend to go up. However there really is no rhyme or reason to when these incidents occur. While July 2015 was a high month with six shots fired calls, it was matched a few months later with the same number in October. With the below listed cases there are multiple resolutions listed. Open indicates the case has not been closed through arrest, even though it may be inactive or suspended by police pending new information. In many of these cases, probable suspects are known to police but there is insufficient evidence to arrest. In many of these cases a lack of victim and/or witness cooperation is the primary reason why there is insufficient evidence. Arrest or Multiple Arrests indicate that at least one person was arrested, although not always for a charge related to actually firing a weapon. As an example, the 03/06/15 incident at 16th & Iowa was two intoxicated individuals recklessly firing a lawfully owned handgun in the air. There was insufficient evidence as to which person fired the gun but they were arrested on other applicable charges and the weapon and the gun owner's weapon permit were taken from him. Examples of arrests include Disorderly Conduct, Interference with Official Acts, alcohol or drug related offenses, several cases where there was a prohibited person possessing a weapon (felon, drug user), arrests for actually discharging the weapons, and felony charges ranging from assault to murder. There are also several open cases where prosecution is forthcoming. There have been other weapons cases that do not make this list such as accidental discharge of a firearm, or suicide with a firearm. The lone exception to suicide with a firearm which is on this list is the 05/01/15 case where a crime (murder) with a gun was committed before the suicide. There have also been several weapon charges under both State and City Codes for Carrying Weapons that were unrelated to any shootings. City charges would also include carrying BB guns or Airsoft type guns, which are not regulated at the State level. 2015 Date Location Results 1 02/08/15 22nd/Central Open 2 03/06/15 1600 Central — AIIey East Multiple Arrests 3 03/10/15 16th/Iowa Open 4 03/20/15 W. Locust/Kirkwood Open 5 04/01/16 Jackson Park Multiple Arrests 6 04/05/15 700 blk. Caledonia Open 7 04/11/15 663 Jefferson Multiple Arrests 8 04/18/16 11th & Chestnut Multiple Arrests 9 05/01/15 2425 Roosevelt — Murder Offender Suicide 10 06/03/15 1690 White - Alley Open 11 06/09/15 2200 blk. White Open 12 06/09/15 2155 Clarke Dr. — Murder Arrest 13 06/10/15 25th & Jackson Open 14 06/27/15 15th & Central Open 15 07/01/15 15th & Iowa Open 16 07/04/15 21st & Washington Closed (suspect deceased) 17 07/15/15 600 blk. W. Locust Arrest 18 07/26/15 15th & Locust Open 19 07/28/15 1812 Central Suspect imprisoned out of state for murder 20 07/28/15 1900 blk. Jackson Open 21 08/17/15 American Marine Arrest 22 08/30/15 1500 blk. Iowa — Alley East Open 23 09/22/15 1600 blk. White — Alley East Multiple Arrests 24 09/26/15 17th & White Open 25 10/04/15 705 1/2 Rhomberg — Murder Open 26 10/06/15 W. Locust & Rosedale Open 27 10/09/15 18th & Jackson Open 28 10/21/15 19th & Jackson Multiple Arrests 29 10/27/15 300 blk. W 17th Open 30 10/28/15 444 Angella Open 31 11/18/15 1600 Butterfield Open 32 12/01/15 Spruce & Jefferson Multiple Arrests 33 12/02/15 1600 blk. Lincoln Open 2016 CONCLUSION These shots fired cases are very unique crimes for us to investigate. In a matter of seconds an individual can fire multiple rounds and disappear from the scene and we then get multiple 911 calls. The crimes are complicated by the fact that unlike most other crimes, if we actually find a victim, they are often unwilling to cooperate with police. Unfortunately these victims often then become the suspects in retaliatory acts. Date Location Results 1 03/08/16 1400 blk. Locust/Bluff Open 2 03/16/16 16th & Bluff Open 3 03/20/16 300 bik. Jefferson Open 4 03/26/16 1500 bik. Iowa — Alley East Open 5 03/28/16 19th & Jackson Multiple Arrests 6 05/17/16 Walnut & Jefferson Open 7 05/19/16 2400 bik. Jackson Open 8 05/28/16 675 W 11th Open 9 06/17/16 17th & West Locust Open 10 06/23/16 1491 Bluff Arrest 11 06/27/16 15th & White Open 12 07/24/16 19th & Jackson Open CONCLUSION These shots fired cases are very unique crimes for us to investigate. In a matter of seconds an individual can fire multiple rounds and disappear from the scene and we then get multiple 911 calls. The crimes are complicated by the fact that unlike most other crimes, if we actually find a victim, they are often unwilling to cooperate with police. Unfortunately these victims often then become the suspects in retaliatory acts. Despite these challenges, the Dubuque Police Department has been fairly successful in resolving several cases. The County Attorney's Office and US Attorney's Office have been very open to reviewing all gun case. Unfortunately many of these take time, especially the federal cases where the evidence goes through the Grand Jury process which can take months. The investigations are very fluid and ongoing and can change daily. We also have several open investigations and pending federal indictments for other criminal activity that we know will take some of the shots fired suspects out of action once they are arrested on these non -gun crimes. Whatever the final outcome, the Dubuque Police Department will diligently pursue these investigations. ACTION REQUESTED This is an informational memo only and no further action is requested.