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Date 6-9-06
Contact Jana Bryant 601.266.4497
WITH PHOTO
Hattiesburg—A
new initiative at the University of Southern Mississippi jointly
developed with the Forrest County district attorney’s office aims
to help area law enforcement agencies better collaborate on cold
cases and track illegal firearms, while training future professionals.
Forrest County district attorney Jon Mark Weathers and Southern
Miss professor Donald Cabana today announced that Rusty Keyes has
joined the university and will head up the initiative as regional
coordinator for the Criminal Analysis Tracking System (CATS).
Keyes, a former detective with the Hattiesburg Police Department,
will serve as a liaison between the university and the criminal
justice community on several components of the CATS initiative.
“Rusty will be the single most important person to coordinate activities
with local law enforcement agencies,” said Cabana, chair of the
Department of Administration of Justice.
The initiative is the result of a yearlong collaboration and planning
process with Weathers’ office and the university, said Cabana. “The
district attorney is able to bring these agencies together in exploring
options for sharing information to solve cases. This will result
in a closer collaboration among agencies and improve the delivery
of justice system services to the taxpayers,” said Cabana.
University officials will begin laying the groundwork for the CATS
this fall with implementation of computer software that will provide
a framework for analyzing cold cases. Once the system is implemented,
a partner agency will bring in case files, and selected individuals
working in an official capacity will input information. The software
then provides a complete visual analysis of case activities.
This collaboration also includes expanded student internship opportunities
starting with the district attorney’s office and eventually expanding
to other criminal justice agencies in the Forrest and Lamar county
areas. Cabana says that students also will be assisting agencies
trace confiscated, illegal firearms.
“The biggest potential of this program is to get all agencies working
together for the common goal of solving crimes. If you put all the
expertise in the area in one pool and work together, then the sky’s
the limit,” said Keyes, who will also serve in a limited capacity
as a sworn officer with the University police.
Click to enlarge
CRIMINAL JUSTICE INITIATIVE—Forrest County district attorney Jon Mark Weathers, left, and University of Southern Mississippi criminal justice professor Donald Cabana talk to the media Friday in downtown Hattiesburg, Miss., about a new initiative developed jointly by the university and the DA's office to help area law enforcement agencies better collaborate on cold cases and track illegal firearms, while training future professionals. The Criminal Analysis Tracking System, or CATS, involves, among other things, implementation of computer software that will provide a framework for analyzing cold cases. University officials will begin laying the groundwork for the CATS this fall. (Southern Miss Public Relations photo by Steve Rouse)
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