DHS To Create Criminal Investigations Research Centre

DHS To Create Criminal Investigations Research Centre

This post is also available in: heעברית (Hebrew)

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) has announced the creation of a new criminal investigations centre to the tune for $40m charge with researching enhanced investigation strategies and techniques in the field of transnational criminal organisations (TCO) and other homeland security threats.

The DHS Centre of Excellence (COE) for Criminal Investigations and Network Analysis will seek to identify new technology-based methods and solutions for predicting and prosecuting criminal activity.

US universities and colleges may apply for a 10-year funding grant through a cooperative agreement to partner with the lead research institution of the COE. Eligible institutions may apply for a $5m grant to work with the chosen lead institution “as an extension of the COE,” reports HS Today. Three colleges or universities are likely to be chosen for the programme.

S&T is seeking multidisciplinary research teams with extensive experience in criminal investigations and network analysis from fields as diverse as engineering, mathematics, criminology, and more.

The chosen teams will work with the DHS, other chosen institutions, and select criminal investigators to develop novel tactics for combating TCOs and related threats. The COE will look to utilise user-focused research into better techniques for identifying and prosecuting these criminal organisations.

The COE programme was set up by the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to coordinate research between universities and the DHS with the aim of enhancing US security. There are currently over 10 established COEs, including the Center for Borders, Trade and Immigration Research led by the University of Houston; the Coastal Resilience Center of Excellence led by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; and the Critical Infrastructure Resilience Institute led by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.