DOI: 10.3886/icpsr38948.v1
title: Reducing Gun Violence through Integrated Forensic Evidence Collection, Analysis and Sharing, New Jersey, 2001-2022
title: Version 1

description: This study examined the use of firearms related evidence to enhance violent crime investigations in New Jersey. Major urban police agencies conduct crime gun intelligence programs. However, this New Jersey project was a statewide, multi-jurisdictional effort. The New Jersey State Police (NJSP) initiated this project in 2006 as part of a Governor mandated comprehensive crime reduction strategy. Unlike similar firearms violence strategies, over a 15-year period, this project evolved into a program of the ongoing initiatives that often-produced short-term wins that incrementally changed the business processes and investigative culture within participating agencies. The study worked to illustrate (such as fusion and real time crime centers) that investigative entities across all levels of government - local, state, and federal - to work together to support violent crime suppression efforts. The study sought to demonstrate the importance of fusing firearms forensic evidence such as ballistics imaging with locally available information, such as arrest and incident data on a statewide basis.
description: This project examined the impact that information sharing entities such as the New Jersey Regional Operations and Intelligence Center (ROIC), specifically the CorrStat initiative has on gun crime investigations. This study collected National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN), gun tracing, shots fired, and calls for service examining whether this evidence improved investigative outcomes.
description: The Principal Investigators used public data such as Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) violent crimes and New Jersey State Police shooting data, and combined that with interviews and surveys of CorrStat staff. The researchers sought to test the effects of forensic evidence on gun crime. The project used quantitative and qualitative methods to examine the association between firearms forensic technologies and investigative effectiveness. Again, please note that the <strong>qualitative data is not a part of this study collection</strong>.
description: Excel file Part #1: National Firearm and non-Firearm Homicide Data

National and state level tables from 2001 to 2021
State data for New Jersey plus top-10 states of homicide data (California, Texas, Florida, New York, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Ohio, Georgia, North Carolina, and Michigan
Tables include state population, and number of homicide deaths and firearm homicides per year (from the CDC)
Computed numbers of gun homicides per 100,000 and percent gun deaths of all homicides

Excel file Part #2: New Jersey gun shooting data

Murder victims versus CDC reported gun homicides (2007 to 2021)
Gun shooting victim outcomes (2009 to 2022)
Top 25 cities shooting incident reports (2009 to 2022)
Non-fatal and fatal victims and incidents (2009 to 2022)
Number of victims per incident (2009 to 2022)
State lab NIBIN acquisitions (2008 to 2021)
Types of incidents associated with NIBIN (2021 to 2022)
description: Datasets: 
DS1: Reducing Gun Violence through Integrated Forensic Evidence Collection, Analysis and Sharing, New Jersey, 2001-2022
description: Smallest Geographic Unit: State
description: record abstractsEarly parts of this project included qualitative data <strong>that is NOT a part of this study collection</strong>. However, a document detailing informed consent and questions asked has been included as part of this study collection. These were introductory discussions with key NJSP personnel documenting the historical development of the state intelligence lead policing (ILP) and forensic evidence programs over a 15-year period. This helped to identify foundational legislation, regulations, and administration procedures relevant to the development of NJSP ILP. Relevant laws and regulations, and key information collected during conversations, were documented in their final report.The included project roadmap documents steps on how to obtain CDC homicide data from the National Center for Health Statistics, as well as New Jersey gun acquisitions data from the ATF's National Firearms Commerce and Trafficking Assessment (NFCTA).