Change is good, it allows us to grow and improve but making changes can be challenging. It takes so much more than just intention to make it stick – especially when the change to be made is not just on a personal level but on a group with various individuals involved. From behavioral considerations like consistency and perseverance to more practical aspects like resources and support, the outcomes expected with the change can only be achieved if it is integrated fully into everything and everyone that is part of the initiative.

This session’s speakers are Ron Nichols, Jessica Ellefritz and Addison Owen. Ron has a prolific career working at the local and federal levels as a firearm and toolmark examiner, writing publications and books, and testifying in criminal cases and hearings. Jessica is a Criminal Intelligence Analyst at the Phoenix Police Department. She’s worked with the Crime Gun Intelligence Unit, is a certified NIBIN trainer, and authored and implemented their firearms-related evidence processing policy. Finally, Addison is the Deputy County Attorney of the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office and Coordinator of their Crime Gun Intelligence Center.

This session’s speakers will provide the framework guidelines on how to maximize NIBIN to address crime gun problems. Points tackled include:

• The Good Intention-Good Program-Organization Lifestyle framework when it comes to implementing an effective and sustainable crime gun strategy through NIBIN.
• A look into the city of Phoenix and the gun crime issues they are faced with.
• Good Intentions: The inception and humble beginnings of Phoenix PD’s NIBIN processing.
  • The composition of the team and how they operate.
  • The challenges they faced with their lack of a dedicated shooting venue, limited capacity and lack of a written policy.
  • The Phoenix Metro NIBIN Program that started a collaborative model with surrounding cities to maximize the technology and gather more NIBIN data.
• Good Program: Scaling up and putting systems into place towards a more effective initiative.
  • Securing a grant that established the Phoenix Crime Gun Intelligence Center.
  • How the grant allowed them to ramp up the team and the program.
  • Securing stakeholder buy-in by building and fostering relationships, reaching out to those who will be impacted by the program and planning accordingly based on feedback and concerns raised.
  • The goal to prevent crime through a systemic approach that is efficient collaborative, well-coordinated, and intelligence-focused.
• Operational Lifestyle: Integrating holistic changes for long-lasting results.
  • Having a succession plan and written policy to pursue program sustainability.
  • Ongoing communication and feedback loop between all involved – leaders, partners, and everyone else involved and whose work will be impacted.
  • Preparing for growth through capacity planning, solidifying critical roles, and keeping stakeholders informed with changes.
  • Numbers that demonstrate how Phoenix’s NIBIN and crime gun program improved their workload and the timeliness of evidence processing and resulted in more NIBIN leads and arrests.

Q&A topics include:

• The comprehensiveness of neighboring agencies’ collection.
• Agreements and MOUs used for the collaborative efforts across agencies and partners.
• Handling, collecting and processing evidence from the firearms.
• The types of firearms that get processed into NIBIN.

Resources and Handouts

• Building a Preventive Crime Gun Strategy Checklist

Audience Comments:

• “Thanks for sharing a program that works.” — Roseann
• “It was interesting to learn about the swab, test-fire, and then print process. We generally swab, print, and then test-fire without employing the “clean” process.” — Matthew
• “A lot of good practical information to add to our lab procedure.” — Robert