This week a STOP-Funded Phoenix, Arizona Cold Case Sex Crime Team Identifies and Apprehends Sexual Assault Perpetrators:

In 2000, the Family Investigations Bureau – Sex Crime Unit of the Phoenix Police Department applied for STOP funds to assist with the large backlog of approximately 2,000 unsolved sexual assault “cold cases” of one year or older in which DNA and/or other evidence was collected but not processed.  With new reported sexual assaults of 500-600 each year in Phoenix, detectives were unable to pursue older cases and also investigate newer ones, and the Bureau needed resources to help them focus intensively on both cold cases as well as new reports. 

The Bureau was successful in its application for funds, and initially hired a detective, a crime analyst, and an advocate to form the new Cold Case Sex Crime Team.  The analyst tracked serial rapists, researched suspects’ backgrounds, prepared data for ongoing investigations, and coordinated with other law enforcement agencies.  The victim advocate worked alongside the detective and analyst to identify and prioritize cases, contact victims, and provide initial triage.  The Team has now grown to include 4 detectives and a crime analyst.  The City of Phoenix Victims Services Unit housed at the Family Advocacy Center provides advocacy services to victims that are contacted by the Cold Case Team. 

The Team utilized STOP funds from 2001 to 2007.  Rather than continuing to rely on federal STOP Grant funds, and knowing that there were other agencies in the Phoenix area that needed the federal funds, the Bureau asked the Phoenix Police Department to continue supporting the Team, which it has done beginning in 2007. 

Over the past nine years, the Team has reviewed over 2,000 sexual assault cold cases and has identified approximately 1,300 potential items of evidence (e.g., evidence collected through forensic exams, clothing, and items found at the crime scene).  Working in coordination with the Phoenix Police Department Laboratory Services Bureau, the Team matched evidence in 325 cases with DNA samples from suspects.  To date, the Team has arrested 57 suspects, some of whom were associated with multiple cases.  In twenty of those cases, many plea agreements were reached, and the team achieved at least 10 guilty verdicts at trial.

In one example of the Team’s success, Nicolas Blackwater* was linked to over seven rapes between 1997and 2001.  In the case reports, the rapist (later identified as Blackwater) was  described only as an unknown suspect.   At that time, DNA evidence was just beginning to emerge and the cases were considered difficult to prosecute for various reasons.  Once the Cold Case Team was in place, it reviewed the cases, not knowing that they were linked to the same perpetrator.  The crime lab processed the evidence obtained through forensic exams which had been completed at the time of the reported offenses.  When the lab developed the DNA profiles, the Team received multiple hits on the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) database, which is operated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  As the Team was receiving the hits, the suspect, with whom the DNA evidence was matched, was due to be released from prison.  This new case information, based on the Team’s work, was submitted for prosecution; Blackwater pled guilty, and is now serving 30 additional years in prison.    

Key Components of the Cold Case Sex Crime Team’s Success:

• Receipt of STOP funds to develop and support the Team.
• Development and use of a database for tracking cold cases.
• Development and implementation of a policy, protocols, and guidelines for law enforcement officers working on sexual assault cold cases.  
• Work with Bureau DNA lab to link forensic evidence to suspects.
• Employing the services of an advocate from the Family Advocacy Center to contact cold case survivors and discuss participation in the case.
• Waiting until the Team has made progress on a particular case before contacting the survivor(s).  
• Regular meetings with designated sexual assault cold case prosecutors in the county attorney’s office.

View the S.T.O.P. in Action film to take a deeper look at the promising S.T.O.P. funded work. For more information on ALSO’s STOP Technical Assistance to Administrators Resource (STAAR) Project, click here. Make sure to check back next week to see if your state is featured or follow us on Twitter for these and other updates.

*Not his real name