The New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services requested training on behalf the Utica, New York Police Department (PD) in investigating and clearing non-fatal shooting incidents. John Skaggs was selected to fulfill the request and provided the Non-Fatal Shooting Investigations training to Utica PD and the Oneida County District Attorney's Office from May 15 - 17, 2017 in Utica, New York.
Non-fatal shootings are typically solved and prosecuted at much lower rates than homicide cases. The City of Utica, like many other cities, is not immune to this phenomenon. DCJS has agreed to support a demonstration project in the City of Utica to ensure the comprehensive investigation of all non-fatal shooting cases, with particular focus on circumstances where victims are uncooperative, and to support the “evidence-based” prosecution mindset that is often used in domestic violence cases. The focus of this project is bullet-to-body shootings, but other confirmed shooting cases where intended victims were not struck may be included on a case by case determination. The Utica Police Department and Oneida County District Attorney’s Office are willing partners in this initiative and will work closely together on all shooting cases of this nature.
Although DCJS will fund certain positions dedicated solely to this project, the entire police department should ensure the thorough investigation of all shootings regardless of victim cooperation. This starts with the preliminary investigation, at the initial report and confirmation of a bullet-to-body shooting. From an organizational standpoint it will require the full investment of department/agency leadership, stressing the importance of these cases to the Department and community to solve and prosecute. Everyone shares the same goal in removing dangerous individuals (shooters) from the streets. The general rule would be to treat all shootings as if they were homicide cases (with perhaps some limitation to personnel call backs, number of investigators assigned to the case, etc.).
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