New York State - Division of Criminal Justice Services

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Niagara Falls City Police DepartmentThe project is managed as a special operation under the direction of the captainof the Criminal Investigation Division (CID) and emphasis is placed on investigations,follow-ups and insurance fraud cases. Crime reports are generally taken by the PatrolDivision and forwarded to the Criminal Investigation Division, where they are reviewedby supervisors and assigned to a criminal investigator or to patrol division personnel forfollow-up or continued investigation. Copies of auto-theft / insurance fraud-relatedreports are then forwarded to the Police Planning/Computer Division for statisticalanalysis. This information is then forwarded to the superintendent of police and captainof C.I.D. to be used at the weekly meeting attended by all division supervisors.Within Niagara Falls, motor vehicle theft has decreased 20.5% from 2008 to2009. Most motor vehicle thefts are being reported between 8a.m. and noon, with themost thefts reported on Saturday and Sunday. Of the 188 vehicles reported stolen in2009, 88 vehicles were recovered (47%) with a recovery value of $302,578. The MVTIFUnit made 23 misdemeanor arrests for motor vehicle theft and five felony arrests.Three factors continue to contribute to the motor vehicle theft and insurancefraud problem in the city. First, the city borders the Canadian Province of Ontario andhas two international bridges and a New York State Park within its jurisdiction. Eachyear, Niagara Falls hosts between 10,000,000 - 12,000,000 tourists visiting in thedowntown, south end, of the city. Due to the popularity of the Seneca Niagara GamblingCasino and Hotel, and the increased economic development around the Casino andState Park, the typical tourist season has been extended and there is an influx ofvehicles and people in the downtown area that were not present in previous years.Tourists and vacationers present easy prey for organized criminal activity. Second,Niagara Falls is located adjacent to the city of Buffalo. Past cases have shown thatvehicles are often stolen from urban streets and shopping malls and transported toNiagara Falls, where thieves believe that fewer law enforcement officers make it aneasier location to chop and dismantle automobiles. Finally, organized youth gangs haveoperated from the extremely impoverished area of the Tuscarora Indian Reservation formany years, with vehicles often stolen from Niagara Falls and recovered on thereservation.The project will utilize the following enforcement strategies to address theproblem: crime analysis, surveillance, sting operations, development of confidentialinformants, patrol-level training, investigator level training, follow-up investigations, andpublic education.The primary components of the project will be criminal investigations assigned bythe supervisors of the Criminal Investigations Division, with investigations analyzed topredict crime pattern indicators and will focus on auto theft, insurance fraud, and falseinsurance claims. As the situation warrants, the agency will operate surveillance inlocations identified through crime analysis as high auto theft crime areas, and stingsNYS DIVISION OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE SERVICES MVTIFP BOARD / ANNUAL REPORT 2009 Page 64
and undercover operations will be used if deemed necessary. Inter-agency projects willbe encouraged when criminal activity is identified as inter-jurisdictional. Thisdepartment also intends to expand public awareness of auto theft and insurance fraudand will focus on presenting information to area neighborhood groups on a regularbasis. The project will focus on criminal investigations in the north end of the city whichexperiences the greatest number of vehicle thefts. The south end of the city (touristarea) also shows a considerable number of vehicle thefts and vehicle break-ins. Knownauto-theft gangs, individuals and chop-shops will also be targeted by investigators. Anyareas that show patterns of auto theft will come under increased patrols and will beinvestigated by the Criminal Investigation Division. The Niagara Falls Police Departmentalso is part of the county-wide Motor Vehicle Task Force and its investigators workclosely with representatives of the New York State Insurance Fraud Bureau. Task Forcemembers assist each other in surveillance and recovery operations and the exchange ofintelligence information. The Niagara Falls Police Department has expanded the taskforce to include the U.S. and Canadian Customs and Canadian Police to address theauto theft related problems that the three international bridges with Canada pose.Niagara Falls City Police DepartmentPerformance Measures Total Performance Measures TotalStolen vehicles reported 188 Misdemeanor arrests (SV) 23Vehicles recovered 88 Felony arrests (SV) 5Recovery rate 47% Misdemeanor arrests (IF) 3Value of recovered vehicles $302,578 Felony arrests (IF) 2Confidential informants 9Finger Lakes RegionOrleansGeneseeWyomingMonroeLivingstonOntarioWayneYatesSenecaFinger Lakes RegionMonroe County Office of the District AttorneyMonroe County Office of the SheriffRochester City Police DepartmentMonroe County Office of the District AttorneyThe Monroe County District Attorney’s Office established a Motor Vehicle Theftand Insurance Fraud Bureau in mid-2004, under the supervision of the EconomicCrimes bureau chief. The majority of stolen vehicle and insurance fraud cases involvingNYS DIVISION OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE SERVICES MVTIFP BOARD / ANNUAL REPORT 2009 Page 65
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Table of ContentsPageI. Introductio
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All of the tasks outlined above are
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addition, officers representing 16
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1000Motor Vehicle Theft Rate/100K P
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The Division of Criminal JusticeSer
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These crimes add an estimated 10% t
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per 100,000), Richmond County (111.
Page 18 and 19: 2. Methods for combating the proble
Page 20 and 21: SUMMARY OF BOARD ACTIVITY ON Septem
Page 22 and 23: DCJS StaffRon DickensVal Friedlande
Page 24 and 25: Western Region AgenciesAmountApplic
Page 26 and 27: VI. 2009 Grant Program Descriptions
Page 28 and 29: According to the New York City Poli
Page 30 and 31: in 2009, an enterprise corruption i
Page 32 and 33: corporation that defrauded the city
Page 34 and 35: In the area of insurance fraud, muc
Page 36 and 37: Despite warnings and public service
Page 38 and 39: Patrol Borough Manhattan North repo
Page 40 and 41: confines of Brooklyn South and the
Page 42 and 43: ecovered with seats, doors, and oth
Page 44 and 45: Borough Queens North are evidenced
Page 46 and 47: FAIS STRATEGIES• Use confidential
Page 48 and 49: motor vehicle insurance fraud are d
Page 50 and 51: investigation and utilized all reso
Page 52 and 53: the help of funding received from o
Page 54 and 55: with investigators from both agenci
Page 56 and 57: offering hands-on demonstrations re
Page 58 and 59: Western RegionBuffalo City Police D
Page 60 and 61: agencies with similar investigation
Page 62 and 63: PD, National Insurance Crime Bureau
Page 64 and 65: Another case that was recently indi
Page 66 and 67: complainant; this is now happening
Page 70 and 71: motor vehicles are assigned to this
Page 72 and 73: The District Attorney’s Office sp
Page 74 and 75: scene; younger suspects would use t
Page 76 and 77: One theft for transportation invest
Page 78 and 79: Rochester Police DepartmentPerforma
Page 80 and 81: Both agencies are continuing the in
Page 82 and 83: November 2009 - A targeted patrol o
Page 84 and 85: where defendants seek specific part
Page 86 and 87: had knowledge that the car was stol
Page 88 and 89: Reported Incidents of Motor Vehicle
Page 90 and 91: Incidence of Motor Vehicle Thefts:
Page 92 and 93: REPORTED MOTOR VEHICLE THEFTS: 2008
Page 94 and 95: Motor Vehicle Thefts Rates per Popu
Page 96 and 97: Motor Vehicle Thefts Rates per Regi
Page 98 and 99: Motor Vehicle Insurance Fraud Suspe
Page 100: MVIF 2009 Rate per Population2009Ra
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New York State - Division of Criminal Justice Services

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