Episode 269 | Just Improving Fatal and Non-fatal Shooting Investigations

Original Release Date: December 1, 2023

In episode one of our National Case Closed Project: Supporting Best Practices in Investigation season, Just Science sat down with Dr. Kevin Strom, Director of the Center for Policing Research and Investigative Science at RTI International, and John Skaggs, retired homicide detective with the Los Angeles Police Department, to discuss the goals of the Bureau of Justice Assistance’s (BJA’s) National Case Closed Project and strategic recommendations for law enforcement agencies to improve their violent crime case outcomes.

Nationally, law enforcement agencies clear an average of about half of all gun violence cases, with nonfatal shooting cases cleared at an even lower rate. To help address these low clearance rates, the BJA’s National Case Closed Project conducts assessments of law enforcement agencies across the country, to provide recommendations for improving their approach to fatal and nonfatal shooting investigations. Listen along as Dr. Strom and Retired Detective Skaggs describe the need for a national initiative like the National Case Closed Project, what an agency assessment looks like, and the top recommendations to come out of the project so far.

This episode is funded by the U.S. Department of Justice Bureau of Justice Assistance (Award No. 15PBJA-21-GK-04008-JAGP). This project is supported by Grant No. 15PBJA-21-GK-04008-JAGP awarded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance. The Bureau of Justice Assistance is a component of the U.S. 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 Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering, and Tracking. 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.

Some content in this podcast may be considered sensitive and may evoke emotional responses, or may not be appropriate for younger audiences.

Just Science · Just Improving Fatal And Non-Fatal Shooting Investigations

Listen/Download at: Apple Podcasts Stitcher Soundcloud Spotify Google Podcasts

View/Download episode transcript here: Transcript

Episode Citation

Brinton, J., Strom, K., & Skaggs, J. (2023, December 1). Just Science. Just Improving Fatal and Non-Fatal Shooting Investigations. [Audio podcast episode]. U.S. Department of Justice Bureau of Justice Assistance. https://forensicrti.org/just-science-episode-269/

Related Resources

If your agency is interested in participating, please send an email to caseclosed@rti.org.

Guest Biography

Dr. Kevin J. Strom is a Center Director at RTI International, where he leads the Center for Policing Research and Investigative Science, which conducts research, technical assistance, and training across a range of topics related to policing, investigations, and forensic science. His portfolio includes projects focused on the United States as well as internationally. Dr. Strom has led projects for the U.S. Department of Justice, including studies to increase efficiencies for processing forensic evidence as well as research developing more strategic and tactical applications for 911 calls-for-service data. He currently leads the national Sexual Assault Kit Initiative Training and Technical Assistance project, which is supporting state and local jurisdictions from across the country in testing, investigating, and prosecuting cases associated with previously unsubmitted sexual assault kits. He also leads the National Crime Statistics Exchange project, an effort aimed at generating nationally representative, incident-based data on crimes reported to U.S. law enforcement agencies.

John Skaggs retired from the Los Angeles Police Department in July 2017 after serving more than 30 years. For 24 years, he was assigned to homicide investigations as a detective, supervisor, and officer-in-charge. In 2015, John was recruited by the U.S. Department of Justice to provide homicide best practices training and assessments to police agencies across the country. He continues to provide this training in his retirement. John is a second-generation homicide detective and is featured in the award-winning, non-fiction book, Ghettoside by Jill Leovy.

Episode 269 | Just Improving Fatal and Non-fatal Shooting Investigations

Share this post