DENVER (AP) — Denver area law enforcement agencies are expanding efforts to use ballistics technology to help solve shootings.
The leaders of the Denver and Aurora police departments along with U.S. Attorney Jason Dunn and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives announced the formation of the Regional Anti-Violence Enforcement Network, or RAVEN, Wednesday in Denver.
The group, which replaced the Denver area's gang task force, slowly began operating in January. It is building on work that Denver has already been doing to look for links between shootings by examining the unique marks left by guns on cartridge cases when they're fired and comparing them with information in ATF's ballistics database.
The head of the ATF's Denver division, David Booth, says the task force will work with law enforcement agencies in Denver's surrounding counties.