A minimal amount of information concerning a cold case homicide is entered into the system via the submission form on the Cold Case Locator “Enter Victim” page. If preferred, the information can be sent via e-mail to coldcaselocator@mocic.riss.net or via U.S. mail to MOCIC, marked as a “Cold Case Homicide” submission for entry by the MOCIC staff. Certain information is required, such as the address where the homicide occurred or the location where the body was found. This can be a street address or the Global Positioning System (GPS) coordinates. Other information that is required includes the approximate date of death and the officer’s name, agency, and phone number. Optional information that may be provided includes the victim’s identifiers, such as name (if known), sex, race, eye and hair color, and the officer’s e-mail address.
The Free Form Notes field is for a short synopsis of the crime or the modus operandi (MO) and directions if the location is a rural route and no GPS coordinates are known (i.e., 1/4 mile south of U.S. 54 on State Road E). Drive-by, gang, or family homicides are not appropriate for submission because the intent is to target traveling killers. The search field can now be searched by word(s). For example, if a homicide has circumstances involving a green pickup truck, duct tape, and a convenience store, etc. Users can utilize this field in conjunction with the other fields to narrow the search or use it by itself. Users may enter search words and click on the search button, and the system will point to all of the other entries that contain those criteria in the Free Form Notes field. A Google map is displayed showing a red balloon for each database entry that meets the search parameters. Clicking on a balloon will display a case number. Clicking on that link will open a browser window showing all of the information (including investigator contacts) that was submitted concerning that homicide.
If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions regarding MOCIC’s Cold Case Locator, please contact MOCIC at coldcaselocator@mocic.riss.net.
Kent Shaw
On May 19, 2016, Kent Shaw was appointed as Executive Director of the WSIN RISS Center.
Director Shaw spent the majority of his 28 years in law enforcement in the field of investigations, specifically drug policy and enforcement. His previous appointments include serving as the Deputy Director of
the California Department of Justice’s (CA DOJ) Division of Law Enforcement, the Bureau Chief of the Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement (BNE) and the Bureau of Investigation, and the Assistant Bureau Chief of BNE. Director Shaw worked at BNE for 15 years, performing in a wide range of assignments and serving in various ranks before becoming Chief.
Director Shaw has a long-standing relationship with WSIN and has been a WSIN access officer for 25 years. As a narcotic agent and supervisor, he worked closely with WSIN for investigative and operational deconfliction, analytical case support, and equipment and financial support. As a manager, he housed several of the WSIN law enforcement coordinators in his offices throughout the state of California. As an executive, Director Shaw managed approximately 20 CA DOJ personnel assigned to WSIN serving in management, supervisor, and analyst positions.
Director Shaw is a consensus builder who is highly regarded to form and preserve partnerships. He fostered more effective internal and external working relationships at CA DOJ, whether working cooperatively in investigations, forming task forces, developing multiagency programs, or representing the California Attorney General or CA DOJ at meetings and speaking engagements. Director Shaw is a respected executive with established relationships amongst our nation’s local, state, and federal law enforcement executives.
Director Shaw has extensive experience with management and policy development concerning criminal intelligence agencies. He provided executive oversight to California’s fusion center, the State Threat Assessment System, and the five regional fusion centers: the Central California Intelligence Center, the Joint Regional Intelligence Center, the Northern California Regional Intelligence Center, the Orange County Intelligence Assessment Center, and the San Diego Law Enforcement Coordination Center. Through his association with the Association of State Criminal Investigative Agencies, he worked with the Criminal Intelligence Coordinating Council and the Information Sharing Environment, which consist of federal, state, local, tribal, and private sector partners, projects, systems, and agencies that enable responsible information sharing across the national security enterprise. Director Shaw has long advocated the integration of officer safety event deconfliction systems, such as the RISS Officer Safety Event Deconfliction System (RISSafe), SAFETNet, and Case Explorer, which is now a reality.
Director Shaw is a successful strategic planner, project manager, and program developer. He is one of the principal architects of CA DOJ’s Special Operations Unit and the Gang Suppression Enforcement Program, two successful programs that required the marshaling and coordination of significant resources. He helped develop the Mobile Field Deployment Training Program to ensure that new agents are properly trained. Since 2004, he has also administered the Campaign Against Marijuana Planting (CAMP), encompassing some of CAMP’s most productive and heralded years. During his leadership, CAMP became nationally recognized as the leader in marijuana eradication, enjoyed record levels of productivity, and received numerous national awards.
Director Shaw earned a master’s degree and a bachelor of science degree, both in business administration. He also graduated from the Federal Bureau of Investigation National Academy, Class 239.
WSIN is pleased to welcome Kent Shaw as its new leader, to continue its commitment to provide high quality criminal intelligence and support services to law enforcement.
Note: This article provides excerpts from the Navigating the Dark Special Research Report prepared by ROCIC Publications staff, based on NDCAC training held at ROCIC.
In the past 20 years, there has been a fundamental shift in communications technology and how law enforcement personnel conduct investigations. While law enforcement has the legal authority to intercept real-time communications and access stored data pursuant to court orders, they often lack the technical ability to do so. This scenario is called “going dark.”
The U.S. Department of Justice’s National Domestic Communications Assistance Center (NDCAC) serves as a centralized program that provides technical assistance to law enforcement and helps them “navigate the dark.” The NDCAC’s mission is to help law enforcement navigate the new environment of communications technology.
The NDCAC’s Technical Resource Group (TRG) has subject-matter experts who can answer technical questions, such as:
- Who do you serve a court order to?
- What verbiage is required in the court order by the company?
The TRG provides a fast turnaround on verbiage for subpoenas and provides other solutions for technical problems.
The NDCAC plays no investigative role regarding an agency or its cases. It does not testify nor does it execute orders. It strictly serves as a consultant for technical solutions for law enforcement. The NDCAC also provides access to cell phone site databases.
The “Going Dark” Problem
What is the “going dark” problem? Basically, the way people communicate is evolving at a rate faster than law enforcement technology can keep up. Previous laws and methods apply to traditional telecommunications providers; however, law enforcement is now working in an environment in which people are using nontraditional forms of communication, such as iMessaging and Skype, which do not fit the verbiage covered by these laws.
Law enforcement faces two going dark challenges:
- Intercepting real-time data in motion, such as phone calls, e-mail, text messages, and chat sessions.
- Obtaining stored data on electronic devices, such as e-mail, text messages, photos, and videos.
The Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act (CALEA) was enacted in 1994 and requires companies to provide data to law enforcement when served with a court order. However, CALEA only applies to traditional telecommunications carriers, VoIP service providers, and circuit-switched broadband service providers. Methods of communication not covered under CALEA include Skype, Google+, Facebook, Twitter, Facetime, iMessage, and e-mail. Apps bypass circuit switches, which makes it harder to collect this evidence.
There are thousands of companies that provide some form of communications service, and most are not required by CALEA to develop lawful intercept capabilities for law enforcement. As a result, many of today’s communication services are developed and deployed without consideration of law enforcement’s evidence collection needs.
Implementation of CALEA is delegated to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, collocated with the NDCAC. To assist in addressing the challenges posed by advancing communications technologies, the NDCAC shares its collective technical knowledge, solutions, and resources with law enforcement to help them obtain the needed evidence as quickly as possible. The NDCAC also assists in strengthening law enforcement’s relationships with the communications industry.
Other NDCAC services include:
- Solution Verification (SolVer)—Tests scenarios on various carriers in order to create solutions to common problems.
- Intercept Simulation (iSim)—Allows law enforcement agencies to test new technologies, making sure the solutions work and that the agency is getting what it needs.
- Technical Analysis Program (TAP)—Determines valuable information and analyzes mobile devices.
- Advanced Communications Technologies—Provides industry outreach and develops requirements, research, and analysis.
The NDCAC’s secure website is accessible with a Law Enforcement Enterprise Portal (LEEP) account. Law enforcement personnel can join the NDCAC website by obtaining a LEEP account at www.cjis.gov (formerly LEO.gov). Once the LEEP ID is received, contact NDCAC’s TRG to request website access at askndcac@ic.fbi.gov or phone (855) 306-3222. In addition, NDCAC’s secure website is accessible to RISSNET users through LEEP. RISSNET users can use their RISSNET account without having to obtain a LEEP account. There is no cost to the agency.
Authorized users may download the full NDCAC report at the ROCIC publications page or e-mail publications@rocic.riss.net for assistance.
The STAC’s mission is to advance the timely and secure sharing of SBU criminal justice and terrorism-related information across a wide spectrum of stakeholder missions and security domains, with a focus on Identity, Credential, and Access Management (ICAM). The initial members of the STAC include the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Criminal Justice Information Services Division, the intelligence community’s Intelink, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Homeland Security Information Network (HSIN), and RISS.
The STAC will build on the success of the SBU Working Group, which accomplished its primary goal of identifying and facilitating the implementation of standard ICAM between its members. The STAC will enhance the work of the SBU Working Group by adding members and serving as a forum for exchanging best practices and lessons learned. The Office of the Program Manager, Information Sharing Environment (PM-ISE) will coordinate the STAC’s activities with groups and subcommittees of the Information Sharing and Access Interagency Policy Committee, the Federal Chief Information Officer (CIO) Council, and Intelligence Community CIO Council.
The STAC’s mission is to support the Information Sharing Council (ISC) in fulfilling the ISC’s duties pertaining to the sharing of terrorism information among SBU environments by:
- Supporting development, integration, refinement, and broad use of relevant ISE guidelines, frameworks, standards, and related best practices.
- Strengthening the sharing and safeguarding of mission data across organizational boundaries through structured data definitions, formalized authentication and authorization policies, and exchange standards.
- Encouraging a federated approach to the reuse and scaling of shared services to optimize their investments and reduce duplicative development.
- Promoting trust among vetted partners and independent organizations through agreed-upon operational policies and guidelines.
- Permitting users with existing credentials to access SBU common user interface services.
The STAC and its predecessor, the SBU Working Group, have been instrumental in defining the technical and policy guidelines for creating the single sign-on (SSO) capabilities among the partner SBU systems. These capabilities currently provide RISS users access to critical criminal justice and homeland security resources on partner systems, like the FBI National Data Exchange (N-DEx), FBI Virtual Command Center (VCC), and the DHS HSIN site using their RISS Secure Cloud (RISSNET) credentials. It also allows officers to access resources on RISSNET using their FBI Law Enforcement Enterprise Portal (LEEP) or HSIN credentials. As the STAC adds new members, RISS and other law enforcement users will gain access to more critical resources and information.
The STAC is open to adding to its membership and is currently in discussions with the Federal Aviation Administration, the U.S. Department of the Interior, and the El Paso Intelligence Center. To learn more about the ISE and the STAC, please visit www.ise.gov or e-mail your questions to outreach@ise.gov.
Visit www.riss.net to learn more information about RISS and the contact information for each RISS Center.
Video enhancements completed for the Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, District Attorney’s Office by the MAGLOCLEN audio/video staff were helpful in obtaining a guilty verdict in the trial of a suspect who was accused of killing two sisters. The videos contained storefront coverage of the suspect, who was being questioned for the brutal murders of the two sisters. Over the course of five months, numerous videos and an audio file were submitted to MAGLOCLEN for enhancement purposes. With the assistance of the enhanced videos and expert testimony from the MAGLOCLEN technical law enforcement coordinator regarding the videos, the Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office secured a guilty verdict on all counts against the suspect. The suspect was sentenced to life imprisonment.
Confidential Funds Played Significant Role in Ending Multijurisdictional Theft Ring
The Barron County, Wisconsin, Sheriff’s Office used MOCIC confidential funds to assist in a theft and narcotics investigation. Locations in Barron County had experienced a large volume of thefts during a three-month period. These thefts included high-dollar items, such as power sport and lawn equipment. The suspects in these thefts were many of the same suspects who had been identified in a previous investigation in which stolen items were given to a Minnesota suspect in exchange for methamphetamine (meth). Authorities conducted controlled buys of meth using MOCIC’s confidential funds. Authorities said that MOCIC’s assistance played a significant role in stopping a large, multijurisdictional theft ring that involved two states and several counties, as well as a large-quantity meth dealer. As a result of the investigation, authorities arrested two people and seized meth valued at more than $10,000. In addition, Barron County authorities shared information with another agency that assisted in additional seizures of meth.
Use of Surveillance Van Results in 26 Arrests
The Ludlow, Massachusetts, Police Department requested the use of a NESPIN surveillance van, which resulted in 26 arrests over a seven-month period. With assistance from the Eastern Hampden County, Massachusetts, Narcotics Task Force; the Massachusetts State Police, Insurance Fraud Bureau; the Chicopee, Massachusetts, Police Department; and the Palmer, Massachusetts, Police Department, the van was used in numerous investigations. Various cases were investigated, including traffic stops of known targets, which resulted in arrests for drug charges, warrant arrests, burglary, breaking and entering, a stolen vehicle, and a doctor who was submitting fraudulent health care claims. Charges included larceny of a stolen vehicle; larceny over $250; receiving stolen property; 22 counts of illegally prescribing narcotics; 18 counts of making false Medicaid claims; possession of Class A, B, C, and E substances; possession to distribute a Class A substance; burglary; and the breaking and entering of a building in the daytime for felony. Items seized included 2.29 ounces of cocaine, valued at $3,000; 157 bags of heroin, valued at $800,600; oxycodone pills; and $1,089 in U.S. currency.
RISSafe Watch Center Keeps Officers Safe While Serving Search Warrant
The Peoria, Arizona, Police Department Street Crimes Unit conducted a narcotics investigation at a Peoria address where a large amount of vehicle, foot, and bike traffic and multiple hand-to-hand drug transactions were observed. The RMIN RISSafe Watch Center staff were contacted to enter into RISSafe the address where the detectives would be serving a search warrant. During the search, detectives located multiple items of evidence, including ½ pound of black tar heroin (valued at $13,590), a large amount of cocaine, several hundred pills (Xanax and OxyContin, valued at $1,800), marijuana, mushrooms, multiple firearms (four pistols and one assault rifle, valued at $8,000), and a Taser that had been reported stolen from an employee with the Glendale, Arizona, Police Department. Large amounts of heroin and cocaine were individually packaged for sale. In addition, detectives located multiple pieces of paraphernalia consistent with drug sales, including small and large seals, digital scales, and ledgers. Four arrests were made.
RISSIntel Intelligence Information Assists With Eight Human Trafficking Victims Being Identified
“Operation Dog Track” culminated in the arrests of 28 individuals who were charged with federal crimes, including conspiracy to commit murder, human trafficking, and fraud. This operation was a joint investigation by the California Department of Justice’s Bureau of Investigation, Special Operations Unit, and the Fresno, California, Police Department targeting the human trafficking and revenue by the Dog Pound criminal street gang (DPG). During the course of the investigation, law enforcement agents queried all primary targets and phone numbers through the RISS Criminal Intelligence Database (RISSIntel). A major break in the case came when intelligence information from WSIN provided agents with another investigation being conducted by another human trafficking task force. This information provided agents with enough probable cause to obtain a court-authorized wire-intercept order on a DPG member who was involved in human trafficking. A total of eight human trafficking victims were identified who were being coerced and forced by fear into committing commercial sexual acts.
Intelligence Research Confirms Identity of Suspects in $28 Million Investment Scams
The Louisiana Office of Financial Investigations contacted ROCIC for assistance in locating suspects who had been accused of defrauding elderly and disabled victims of more than $28 million in investment scams over a two-year period. Within hours, the ROCIC intelligence research staff confirmed the IDs of several suspects and provided their locations, along with the locations of assets liable for seizure. One arrest was made, and two others are imminent. The Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Internal Revenue Service, and the Louisiana Attorney General’s Office assisted in the investigation.
