North Country Crime Analysis Center Opens

 

Governor Andrew Cuomo today announced the opening of a Crime Analysis Center to serve five North Country counties and expand the state’s network of intelligence and data sharing centers to the Canadian and Vermont borders. The North Country Crime Analysis Center is the newest of seven supported by the state Division of Criminal Justice Services in partnership with police agencies and prosecutors’ offices in 13 counties. 

 

"With cutting-edge technology and state-of-the-art capabilities, this center will enable federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies in the North Country to work more efficiently in their efforts to solve crimes and protect our communities," Governor Cuomo said. "This new addition to our crime analysis center network is one more step towards a stronger, safer New York for all." 

 

The Division of Criminal Justice Services hosted an open house at the North Country Center this morning, with the goal of encouraging more agencies across the region to learn more about its technology and capabilities and to share their data and use its services. Located at the Franklin County Public Safety Building in Malone, the Center is a joint venture between the State and 12 law enforcement agencies in Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Jefferson and St. Lawrence counties. 

 

The North Country Center serves a large geographic area of more than 9,400 square miles that borders Canada and includes the sovereign St. Regis Mohawk Reservation, which straddles ‎Northeastern New York's border with Quebec and Ontario. The Center provides data and intelligence to law enforcement agencies so they can better secure the border, improve cross-jurisdictional cooperation and information sharing with federal, state, local and tribal agencies handling all types of criminal investigations, including cases involving contraband smuggling, terrorism, and drug and human trafficking. 

DCJS Executive Deputy Commissioner Michael C. Green said, “Time and time again, these centers have proven to be an invaluable tool for law enforcement agencies investigating crime or responding to emergency calls. Crime analysts can process vast sums of information coming into the center to provide critical and timely assistance for responding officers –often in real time. This new center will help dozens of smaller departments in the North County fight crime more efficiently and provide them with the added resources they need to enhance the security of the State’s international border.” 

 

State Police Superintendent George P. Beach II said, “This new Center will provide State Police and our local law enforcement partners with state-of-the-art technology and the timely analysis necessary to solve crimes quickly and efficiently. It also expands our efforts to work collaboratively statewide, and address crime issues on a regional basis. I appreciate the support of Governor Cuomo and DCJS for their support in making this new Center a reality.”  

 

The North Country Center's staff uses advanced technology to access and synthesize a wide variety data and information, such as reported crimes, arrest information, parole and probation records, among others, to provide that intelligence to officers and investigators in the field to solve crime. Center staff also can map crime “hot spots” so law enforcement agencies can more effectively deploy staff and assist prosecutors who are preparing for trial. 

 

The state invests approximately $5.5 million annually on personnel and technology to support the Crime Analysis Center network. Other Centers are located in Albany, Broome, Erie, Monroe, Niagara and Onondaga counties; the Center in Albany County also serves Rensselaer and Schenectady counties. ‎A map of the Centers is available here. 

 

In addition to being connected to each other, the seven state-supported Centers have access to information from locally supported centers in Nassau, Suffolk and Westchester counties. The New York State Police, state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision, Department of Motor Vehicles, and federal Probation Department also permit all state-supported Centers to access information they maintain. 

 

The Crime Analysis Centers and their staff have been recognized by international and national organizations for their innovative use of technology and quality of their work, including the International Association of Law Enforcement Intelligence Analysts, the Center for Digital Government and Digital Communities, Government Security News, and the International Association of Crime Analysts, which recently presented awards to analysts from the Albany and Monroe centers. 

 

Source: Press Office, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo