The Force Multiplier for Smaller Agencies
The Force Multiplier for Smaller Agencies
THE CASE
In a robbery for drugs and money case, a Levittown, Pennsylvania musician was killed. One of the key suspects claimed he was at work the entire night and didn’t participate in the slaying.
THE CHALLENGE
While investigating this case, detectives had a mountain of data to comb through after a court-ordered wiretap on the suspects’ phones yielded an overwhelming 3,000 phone calls and 13,000 text messages.
HOW GEOTIME HELPED
Falls Township Police Department has 55 sworn officers, being a smaller agency. “Our detectives must perform every aspect of the investigation by themselves for the most part. Having GeoTime available has been a great benefit,” says Detective Joseph Coffman.
He was able to analyze the cell tower records to show how the suspects placed calls near the victim’s homes, and produced videos of the suspects’ travel patterns to demonstrate intent.
GeoTime Features Used
- Call Records Tool/Glimpse Offline
- Data layering of multiple phones to link suspects to the killing
- Video and PowerPoint presentation
THE RESULT
In the trials, the jury saw the video presentation prepared by Coffman using GeoTime. In the first video, one suspect sent text messages about buying a gun. The second video shows how the suspects meet before the murder. The third video shows suspects arriving at the crime scene, placed there by cell tower records.
In the fourth video, the mapping sequence was layered with the recorded 911 call from the victim’s roommate to police dispatchers. Altogether, this provided a real-time creation of the incident and draws a solid picture of the suspects’ involvement.
All three suspects were found guilty and sentenced to prison terms.
“GeoTime is an asset to any size department because of the high quality video that is made from importing call detail records into the software. It’s a very powerful presentation. It has an impact on the jury. With GeoTime, I can show the defendants at all times: before, during and after the homicide.”
– Joseph Coffman, Detective, Falls Township Police Department