Special Prosecution Unit Uses Social Media to Prosecute Violent Crime and Drug Trafficking (2016)

Essex County Prosecutor’s Office (Newark, NJ)

Population: 808,290 | Number of Full-Time Prosecutors: 129 | Contact Information

The Essex County Prosecutor’s Office (ECPO) recognized the need to utilize social media evidence to successfully prosecute violent crime and drug trafficking. With help from Innovation Prosecution Solutions, ECPO developed a Special Prosecution Unit, which mines social media content to help prosecute violent crime by identifying involved organizations and individuals, evidence of criminal activity, victims, witnesses, and other relevant information for future prosecution.

Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office (Miami, FL)

Population: 2,752,000 | Number of Full-Time Prosecutors: 300 | Contact Information

To address an increase in Juvenile homicides, shootings, and violent crime in the Miami area, the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office embedded a multidisciplinary team funded by Innovative Prosecution Solutions in a local police station.

Cook County State’s Attorney (Chicago, IL)

Population: 5,211,000 | Number of Full-Time Prosecutors: 900 | Contact Information

In response to its jurisdiction’s increasing rise in shootings and homicides, The Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office (SAO) utilized Innovative Prosecution Solutions (IPS) resources to identify and prosecute individuals who are most likely to engage in gun-related offenses in six of Chicago’s neighborhoods most impacted by gun violence.

Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office (Detroit, MI)

Population: 1,793,561 | Number of Full-Time Prosecutors: 180 | Contact Information

The Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office (WCPO) is working to prevent opioid-related overdose deaths by utilizing data science to locate and prioritize hotspots of overlapping opioid-related activity and violent crime, eliminating the threshold for case referrals to WCPO’s drug unit, and employing a one-person grand jury to streamline investigations of opioid-related overdose cases.

Davidson County District Attorney’s Office (Nashville, TN)

Population: 715,884 | Number of Full-Time Prosecutors: 75 | Contact Information

The Davidson County District Attorney’s Office (DCDA) expanded their identification of human trafficking victims/survivors to increase access to services and improve prosecution of traffickers. DCDA received funding from Innovative Prosecution Solutions (IPS) to improve a validated Trafficking Victim Identification Tool and partner with the county probation department to expand screening of potential victims.

Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office (Milwaukee, WI)

Population: 600,000 | Number of Full-Time Prosecutors: 120 | Contact Information

With assistance from an Innovative Prosecution Solutions (IPS) grant, the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office has hired an Opioid Community Prosecutor to improve opioid trafficking and death investigations and connect overdose victims with needed services. This special prosecutor works closely with the West Allis Police Department Drug Unit and the Wisconsin Department of Corrections to build cases and identify people who need treatment for addiction.

Shelby County District Attorney General’s Office (Memphis, TN)

Population: 935,760 | Number of Full-Time Prosecutors: 112 | Contact Information

Through an Innovative Prosecution Solutions initiative, the Shelby County District Attorney General’s Office and its partners at the Memphis Police Department and the University of Memphis are working together to investigate fatal and nonfatal opiate overdoses through use of mobile Cellebrite technology known as UFED InField. This enables detectives to extract data from overdose victims’ cell phones at the scene, expediting identification of the victim’s supplier.

Office of the Worcester County District Attorney (Middle District Attorney) (Worcester, MA)

Population: 830,000 | Number of Full-Time Prosecutors: 88 | Contact Information

The Middle District Attorney’s Office has established the Worcester County Overdose Death Response Initiative funded by an Innovative Prosecution Solutions (IPS) grant, modeled after a similar initiative in Richmond County, New York, to investigate all fatal opioid overdoses as potential homicides. Researchers at Fitchburg State University are conducting data analysis, which will help the team develop geographic investigation and prosecution strategies.

Easton Baton Rouge Office of the District Attorney (Baton Rouge, LA)

Population: 440,059 | Number of Full-Time Prosecutors: 54 | Contact Information

The East Baton Rouge District Attorney’s Office (EBRDA) aims to disrupt the market for opioids by targeting high-profile drug dealers. With Innovative Prosecution Solutions (IPS) funding, a multi-disciplinary team consisting of representatives from EBRDA, the Baton Rouge Police Department, the Drug Enforcement Agency, the Louisiana National Guard, and others collect and analyze a robust dataset pertaining to opioid prescriptions, overdoses, Narcan distributions, opioid-related arrests, and other relevant data.

Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office (Conroe, TX)

Population: 607,391 | Number of Full-Time Prosecutors: 50 | Contact Information

The Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office has developed a Pre-Crime Unit (PCU) with Innovative Prosecution Solution grant funds, which targets the sources of prescription drug abuse through aggressive and responsible investigations and prosecutions to combat increases in drug overdose and drugged driving. The PCU team consists of a prosecutor, investigator, and paralegal.