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Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms to implement the geographic profiling methodology, and use Rigel, the geographic profiling system for serial arson and bombing cases.

(Monday 13th March, 2000, Vancouver, BC)—Environmental Criminology Research Inc. (ECRI) announced today that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF), an arm of the US Department of Justice, has chosen ECRI’s Rigel geographic profiling system to assist in the investigation of serial arson and serial bombing cases.

The mandate of the ATF is to enforce the Federal laws and regulations relating to alcohol, tobacco, firearms, explosives and arson by working directly and in cooperation with others to support and assist Federal, State, local, and international law enforcement.

Headquartered in Washington, D.C., ATF has 331 field offices throughout the United States, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, and several foreign countries and is responsible for enforcing the Federal laws and regulations relating to alcohol, tobacco, firearms, explosives, and arson. ATF agents, inspectors, and professional staff investigate some of the most violent crimes in society. 

ECRI’s geographic profiling system enables law enforcement agencies to identify the residence of serial criminals and repeat offenders, and help reduce the costs of criminal investigations. With Rigel, the ATF will enhance the efforts of the Vancouver Police Department, the RCMP, the OPP, the UK’s National Crime Faculty, and the US Department of Justice, in the implementation and use of this new methodology.

"In areas where ATF is considered the worldwide leader, such as arson and bombing investigations, illegal arms trafficking investigations, and fire research and explosives, the ATF is moving into the 21st century utilizing new and advanced crime fighting tools", said Barry Dalziel, President and CEO of ECRI. "Using Rigel, the geographic profiling system, to assist ATF field agents in their investigations will continue to advance the use of technology within the United States law enforcement market”.

ECRI is a Vancouver based software company providing products and services to law enforcement agencies around the world.

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