West Point Leadership ProgramClass 6-2001Final Exam

The Proactive Latent Print UnitThe Proactive Latent Print Unit

• William Gibbens• Identification Section

Manager• Austin Police

Department

Scope of Project

• Design a system that will enable the LPU to proactively search the known prints of those arrested for property crime offenses with latent print cases in specific areas where the offenders are active.

• Set up juvenile fingerprint cards in a filing system to enable the LPU to search incoming property crime cases against juveniles who reside in those areas.

Triggers

• In 1999 the Identification Section implemented the Property Crime Response initiative.

• The quantity and quality of latent print cases being submitted by field personnel has increased dramatically.– 1998 3,644 latent cases (63.5% workable)– 2000 6,197 latent cases (92.6% workable)

Triggers (cont)

• Departmental goals:– Reduce property crime in the City of Austin.– Make Austin the safest City in America.

• The current clearance rate of latent print cases is approximately 7%. This needs to be higher.

• Case identifications are made from Detectives developing suspects, suspects being arrested at the scene or AFIS entries.

Triggers (cont)

• AFIS searches and identifies fingerprints only. AFIS does not have the ability to search palm prints, which make up approximately 30-40% of all latent prints received. Also contains no Class C arrests.

• Many other cases do not contain AFIS quality latent prints.

• Approximately 90% of all latent prints identified in AFIS are from local arrests.

Triggers (cont)

• Many of the Department’s arrests are for property related crimes.

• These offenders are checked on the cases for which they were arrested, but little else is ever done to follow up on other latent print cases in that particular beat/sector.

• Repeat offenders many times work the same areas.

Triggers (cont)

• Juveniles are also active in certain areas (close to home).

• Setting up a file system that would allow the LPU to search known offender prints with latent print cases from their “active” areas would assist in being more proactive towards identifying the habitual offenders on other cases.

Triggers (cont)

• Setting up juvenile fingerprint cards in a system that would be easily searchable would also assist in searching latent print cases against known offenders in those areas.

• Because the Unit currently has two new employees, this project would help with cohesion in the unit and help socialize them with the tenured employees.

Triggers (cont)

• It will give the LPU a feeling of worth and having a project that they can call their own.

• It will buy the LPU some much needed social capital with their customers and those they work with.

Analysis

• Expectancy Theory

• Motivation through Job Redesign Theory

• Group Decision Making Theory

• Socialization Theory

• Group Development Theory

• Cohesion Theory

• Vertical Diad Theory

Analysis (cont)

• Situational Leadership Theory

• Transformational Leadership Theory

• Social Capital Theory

• Overcoming Resistance Theory

Leadership Action Plan

• Meet with the LPU to discuss scope of project and work on buy-in.

• Meet with Crime Records and Crime Scene Management to discuss the impact on their Units.

• Meet with Crime Analysis Unit to help with project and identify what information needs to be received or forwarded to help the project.

Leadership Action Plan (cont)

• Meet with Detective Details to get their buy in. Their support will help in trying to obtain manpower and resources.

• Meet with Administration to discuss the project and the resources needed for the project.

Leadership Action Plan (cont)

• Set up a committee of individuals from the effected units to look at the scope of the project to ensure that it meets the needs of customers.

• Begin working on the acquisition of manpower/resources to support this project.– Latent Print Examiner $55,000– Files Cabinets $ 8,000

Leadership Action Plan (cont)

• Begin initial work towards setting up the foundation for this project.– CSU to place beat numbers on all latent

envelopes– Restructure LP files by crime type and beat

number.– Develop a juvenile file system that would house

juveniles according to the beat number of their home address.

Leadership Action Plan (cont)

• Set up procedures for screening incoming arrests:– Crime Records will pull the cards on subjects

arrested for property crime cases and, after writing the subject’s home address and offense location on the card, will forward to the LPU

– Juveniles will he handled the same way.

Leadership Action Plan (cont)

• Set up Latent Print Unit Procedures.– Incoming Fingerprint Cards

• Initially screened to check for latent prints on related case.

• Check related case, if it exists.

• Search the known prints of the subject against cases in the beats of the originating offense of the subject’s home address.

• If successful expand to adjacent beats until the search has been exhausted.

Leadership Action Plan (cont)

• Set up LPU Procedures (Cont)– Incoming latent print cases

• Will be searched on the computer for listed suspects.

• If suspects listed, they will be checked against the latent case before any searches are initiated.

• If no suspects listed the latent case is searched with juvenile offenders who reside in the beat the offense occurred and adjacent beats.

– Once completed the known prints and latent cases will be filed accordingly.

Leadership Action Plan (cont)

• Set up LPU Procedures (Cont)– Set up reporting procedures for identifications

based on these searches.• Supplement report forwarded to Detective Detail

and Crime Analysis.

• Documented in monthly worksheet for statistical purposes.

Evaluation

• Monitor monthly reports to ensure that the process is being used effectively and that identifications are being made as a result of this project.

• Monitor working relationships of employees and customers of the LPU to ensure that the project is having the desired affect on the internal issues identified.

Evaluation (cont)

• Maintain regular contact with customers and Crime Analysis to ensure that the project is beneficial to the Department.

• Monitor the case clearances by Detectives as a result of the work product of this project.