Understanding the Criminal Justice System
This year, Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb signed into law Bill 1558, creating a Crime Guns Task Force designed to address violent crime in several central Indiana counties. The Task Force identifies and tracks firearms used in crimes across Boone, Hamilton, Hancock, Hendricks, Marion, Morgan, Johnson, and Shelby counties. These counties have chosen to participate in the program because of increased gun violence in their areas.
The newly created system aims to involve all levels of law enforcement, including municipal police, sheriffs’ departments, and state police, and give them the investigative advantage of sharing information about guns, evidence, and other investigative details across precincts.
The law explicitly provides departments access to the National Integrated Ballistic Information, a national database of information collected on firearms used in violent crimes. Technology now allows authorities to trace a gun’s microscopic marks left on a bullet to connect the firearm to other crimes committed with the same gun. Mayor Scott Fadness of Fishers, for example, noted that in the last year and a half, 171 guns involved in crimes had been collected — and 101 of them have been connected to another violent crime in central Indiana.
With a new system to track firearms across county lines, criminal defendants could face additional charges they may not have been exposed to before this law. Charges could come from more than one county if law enforcement follows firearms involved in violent crimes across county lines, which could bring about proceedings in different courts throughout the state.
With the potential for charges that span more than one county, it is more important than ever for defendants to have an experienced criminal defense attorney by their side as soon as possible. If you find yourself accused or suspected of a violent crime in Indiana, help ensure your rights are protected by scheduling a free consultation with Razumich & Associates today.
