Baltimore City Officials Announce New Data Portal To Trace Guns Being Used To Commit Crimes
BALTIMORE (WJZ) — Baltimore leaders on Wednesday announced the launch of a new tool aimed at tracing the source of guns being used to commit crimes in the city.
The data portal will give officers a near-realtime view of gun crime data to combat trafficking more effectively. A partnership with Mayors Against Illegal Guns and Everytown for Gun Safety, the portal will bring together data from within the Baltimore Police Department's tracking system and ballistics and shots fired data.
Mayor Brandon Scott said most guns used to commit crimes in Baltimore originate from outside the city and outside the state. Nearly two-thirds of guns seized last year were from outside Maryland, he said.
The goal of the program is to tie the data together to stop illegal gun trafficking and the crime that follows.
"As we all know, firearms are not manufactured here in the City of Baltimore, however, they do fall into the hands of young men and women who continuously commit senseless violent acts with no regard to those who may be caught in the crossfire," Police Commissioner Michael Harrison said.
Baltimore is the first city to have a program of this kind, officials said.
In the coming days, the Baltimore Police Department will dedicate a sergeant and two detectives to the initiative.
The news conference follows a number of shootings, including three involving children, reported in the city in recent days. Harrison said detectives are following up on leads in all three cases.
Watch The Full News Conference Below:
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