Award Information
Description of original award (Fiscal Year 2023, $698,805)
The Vanderburgh County Prosecutor’s Office (VCPO) is seeking to create a new Crime Gun Intelligence Center (CGIC), supported by a nearby NIBIN site, for the purpose of combating a precipitous increase in violent crime and gun-related crime in recent years.
Vanderburgh County, Indiana is located in the southwestern portion of the state with a population of 180,136. The county seat is Evansville, the third most populous city in Indiana. From 2018 to 2021, Evansville experienced an 81.6% increase in non-fatal shootings and a 50% increase in total homicides, with an incredible 160% increase in gun homicides. Other firearm statistics also support an alarming escalation in gun-related violence; from 2019 to 2022, shots fired runs climbed from 686 to 740, and firearms recovered rose from 531 to 577. Similar trends can be seen in neighboring counties in the Southwestern Indiana region.