Using Data and Analytics to Identify Prolific Violent Offenders

Using Data and Analytics to Identify Prolific Violent Offenders: Lessons Learned from the Cuyahoga County (OH) Prosecutor’s Office’s Crime Strategies Unit

Recorded April 11th, 2024

Cuyahoga County is home to Cleveland, Ohio and experiences a violent crime rate that is almost four times the national average. The County includes over 50 law enforcement agencies, and given that violent crime in the county is not confined to a single municipality, it's essential for law enforcement agencies and prosecutors to share data about violent offenders. This webinar will highlight how the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office (CCPO) identified and prioritized investigation and prosecution of the county’s most prolific offenders—especially those connected to firearm-related crimes. Rachel Lovell and Ryan Bokoch will discuss the creation and validation of the CCPO’s Crime Strategy Unit’s priority criteria, the characteristics of the county’s most violent offenders, and the social network and spatial analyses used to identify links between people, places, and violent gun crimes. Specifically, they will explain how to use incident-based criteria, as opposed to criteria based on individual characteristics, to identify violent crime drivers, and they will discuss how investigators and prosecutors can use such information to triage cases more effectively and efficiently.

Upon completion of this session, participants will be better able to:
-Understand the process of identifying prolific offenders through an incident database and social network analyses;
-Develop and implement a standardized, data-driven set of criteria to prioritize investigations and prosecutions; and
-Utilize technology to map violent offenders and incident locations to better inform the response to violent crime.

This project was supported by Grant No. 2020-YX-BX-K001 awarded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance. The Bureau of Justice Assistance is a component of the Department of Justice's Office of Justice Programs, which also includes the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the National Institute of Justice, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, the Office for Victims of Crime, and the SMART Office. Points of view or opinions in this document are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.