COLUMBUS (WCMH) — The city of Columbus has launched a program to establish a Crime Gun Intelligence Center with the help of local and federal law enforcement agencies.

The city announced the new partnership Thursday that will include the Columbus Division of Police, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Ohio, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

The goal, according to a release, is “to collect, analyze and distribute information regarding gun-related crimes in a more coordinated and timely fashion.”

This collaborative, interagency unit will use technology, such as the ShotSpotter gunshot detection system, and evidence recovered from crime scenes to better identify, apprehend and prosecute the perpetrators of gun violence – as well as those who sell or supply the firearms used to commit crimes and acts of violence. 

City of Columbus News Release

Once the CGIC is established, the city says it will feature a talk force of CPD officers who have been deputized by ATF. The federal agency is expected to provide training and equipment that will benefit the task force.

In addition, the city says some gun arrests could be prosecuted at the federal level, “possibly resulting in harsher sentences and penalties for those who use firearms to harm others and/or commit crimes.”