I just returned from another trip to our nations Capital regarding a cold case homicide database. The FBI started VICAP about 25 years ago, the Violent Criminal Apprehension Program. You can read about the database at ; https://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/2008/august/vicap_080408
This is a repository that includes cold homicide cases, however, it is voluntary. No one is required to report to it, participate with it, and it is only for law enforcement and no portion is open to general public access such as our Colorado database. Only 3,800 agencies have used it to date. It is a great start, but until the U.S. Congress compels all law enforcement agencies in every State and Territory to participate, it falls well short of our expectations, let alone our national needs.
ViCAP also offers additional assistance to its partners—including multi-agency coordination efforts, investigative support, case management help, crime mapping, case series matrices, and on-scene case assistance.
Evolving ViCAP access. Back in 1985, ViCAP information sat on a mainframe computer in Quantico, Virginia, accessible only to FBI personnel. Users usually submitted their case information to them through the mail.
In the short-term, the FBI states, law enforcement agencies will reap the benefits of this new and improved ViCAP. In the long-term, it’s the American public—kept safer from violent criminals—who will benefit.
For myself and others, this is the system that can house a mandatory reporting requirement for all law enforcement to report unresolved homicides to, on top of the other violent crimes the database addresses. The issue of additional funds for the project that is a continual discussion, becomes only a matter of data entry personnel who put this data into an already existing system. The only other issue we feel strongly about is this;
The general Public should be able to access a “front Door” portion of the system in order to look up their cases or cases of interest for general information and a primary point of contact with law enforcement should anyone wish to assist these cold cases with new information. Law Enforcement can then use a “Law Enforcement Only” access to review more detailed information on their case of interest. In this mobile society of today, a murderer from Colorado can be the neighbor of someone in Maryland, and in turn murderers from other States can be our next door neighbors right here in Colorado. Given our 1800 unresolved homicides and long term missing persons in Colorado alone, that’s over 1800 murderers living among us. When you look at the National Unresolved Homicide numbers (which are only estimates as we truly have only a very general idea to date) the figures are staggering. NPR reports one third of all homicides remain unresolved.
http://www.npr.org/…/open-cases-why-one-third-of-murders-in…
The following link gives you homicide rates from FBI Crime Statistics since 1950. Try doing the math, its unbelievable.
http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0873729.html
Please write your Congressman and Senator requesting that our U.S. Congress legislate the law enforcement reporting requirements that the State of Colorado has enacted for the reporting of cold case homicide and missing persons.
Your help will be greatly appreciated!
Finally, given the new tax revenues enjoyed in the State of Colorado, it is long overdue that Colorado fund the already passed cold case team for the Colorado Bureau of investigations. Again, lets pick up the phones and begin to write our State legislators and encourage them to fund what they have already passed. The funding of a Colorado cold case team housed at CBI. Contact us for more information if your interested in helping this cause!
A closing thought…For me, “obstruction of justice” is a crime that should be applied to those who fail to do all in their power to resolve crimes when they clearly have the ability to. The Governor of Florida vetoing a bill funding a cold case task force passed by the legislature there comes to mind…or not funding a cold case team for Colorado that has already be legislated.
Just a thought…
Robert M. Wells
Executive Director
FOHVAMP
www.fohvamp.org
[email protected]
