GOSHEN — Methamphetamine pushers in Elkhart County should now have a new reason to worry with the announcement that a dedicated criminal analyst will soon be hired by the Elkhart County Prosecutor’s Office.
The announcement was made during a meeting of the Elkhart County Council Saturday, where Ed Windbigler, new chief investigator with the Elkhart County Prosecutor’s Office, informed the board that his office has received a hefty $250,000 Total Cops Methamphetamine Grant.
Windbigler recently took over as chief investigator for the prosecutor’s office after spending nearly 24 years with the Elkhart Police Department. He is replacing Bill Wargo, who has retired after 33 years in law enforcement.
During his presentation, Windbigler indicated that the grant will allow his office to hire a new Criminal Intelligence Analyst, whose sole job will be to compile and analyze data from agencies throughout Elkhart County. Such data will then be used to predict which areas pose the highest risk for methamphetamine-related crimes, as well as where such activity is most likely to spread.
According to INTERPOL, the world’s largest international police organization, the central task of a criminal intelligence analyst is to help officials — law enforcers, policy makers, and decision makers — deal more effectively with uncertainty, to provide timely warning of threats, and to support operational activity by analyzing crime.
“This is something that I think we need to do to make law enforcement better in Elkhart County,” said Windbigler.
With receipt of the grant, the prosecutor’s office will be able to fully fund the new analyst position through 2012 with the chance to extend the position further if funding allows.
Such funding will include everything necessary for the job, including salary, training, technology, software and travel.
Councilman David Foutz, a teacher and economist with a flare for numbers, was particularly excited about the potential for the new position.
“I’m a numbers guy,” Foutz said, “so I think this is just great.”
Windbigler said that with the grant now secured, his office has already begun the process of interviewing potential applicants for the position.
The announcement was made during a meeting of the Elkhart County Council Saturday, where Ed Windbigler, new chief investigator with the Elkhart County Prosecutor’s Office, informed the board that his office has received a hefty $250,000 Total Cops Methamphetamine Grant.
Windbigler recently took over as chief investigator for the prosecutor’s office after spending nearly 24 years with the Elkhart Police Department. He is replacing Bill Wargo, who has retired after 33 years in law enforcement.
During his presentation, Windbigler indicated that the grant will allow his office to hire a new Criminal Intelligence Analyst, whose sole job will be to compile and analyze data from agencies throughout Elkhart County. Such data will then be used to predict which areas pose the highest risk for methamphetamine-related crimes, as well as where such activity is most likely to spread.
According to INTERPOL, the world’s largest international police organization, the central task of a criminal intelligence analyst is to help officials — law enforcers, policy makers, and decision makers — deal more effectively with uncertainty, to provide timely warning of threats, and to support operational activity by analyzing crime.
“This is something that I think we need to do to make law enforcement better in Elkhart County,” said Windbigler.
With receipt of the grant, the prosecutor’s office will be able to fully fund the new analyst position through 2012 with the chance to extend the position further if funding allows.
Such funding will include everything necessary for the job, including salary, training, technology, software and travel.
Councilman David Foutz, a teacher and economist with a flare for numbers, was particularly excited about the potential for the new position.
“I’m a numbers guy,” Foutz said, “so I think this is just great.”
Windbigler said that with the grant now secured, his office has already begun the process of interviewing potential applicants for the position.
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