Partners: Webster County Sheriff's Office, Fort Dodge Police Department, Iowa State Patrol, Webster County Opioid Coalition, City of Fort Dodge, Fort Dodge Fire Department, Iowa Central Community College, Fort Dodge Correctional Facility, The Fort Dodge Messenger, and nonprofit organizations
Focus areas: Technology, Community Engagement
Webster County is the 18th most-populated county in Iowa, but ranks third among Iowa counties for crime per capita with a rate of 79.09 per 1,000 people. Violent crime has been rising at alarming rates and it is not limited to adults. An Iowa Department of Public Health survey of middle and high school youth found that many have access to narcotics and/or firearms. The sheriff’s office is aware of as many as 12 gangs operating in Webster County, which target teenage males for recruitment. Much of the gun violence in Webster County has involved young males between 14-17 years of age. Webster County Sheriff’s Office has prioritized two ways to access critical information that will help prevent and solve crimes: purchasing GrayKey software, a mobile forensic tool that can extract data from suspects’ mobile phones; and fostering stronger ties between community and law enforcement through support of a community coalition, Safe Communities of Fort Dodge and Webster County.
Having the GrayKey tool available locally allowed the sheriff’s office to develop a Cyber Crimes unit to serve the citizens of Webster County, the city of Fort Dodge, and surrounding counties. All cell phone and computer forensics seized in criminal cases within Webster County are now examined by the Webster County/Fort Dodge Cyber Crime Unit. Data can be available in as little as two weeks Without the software, Webster County had to rely on the Des Moines Digital Forensics Lab, which carries a wait time of a year and half, whereas the Cyber Crimes unit can complete data extraction in two weeks. This allows for timelier responses and a higher likelihood of preventing and/or prosecuting crimes. The Cyber Crimes unit has used GrayKey in 400 cases to date. Mobile forensics has played a significant role in prosecutions of narcotics, exploitation of minors, homicide, and human trafficking cases.
The Safe Communities Coalition of Fort Dodge and Webster County started in 2022 in response to an uptick in crime and public perceptions that Webster County was unsafe. Even with GrayKey technology, a lack of information from witnesses hampered law enforcement efforts to identify suspects. The coalition was founded to build trust and closer relationships between the community and law enforcement. Coalition partners include: the Webster County Sheriff's office, the Fort Dodge Police Department, the Iowa State Patrol, the Webster County Opioid Coalition, the City of Fort Dodge, The Fort Dodge Fire Department, Iowa Central Community College, the Fort Dodge Correctional Facility, The Fort Dodge Messenger, Fort Dodge Mayor, Fort Dodge City Council, and nonprofit organizations such as Athletics for Educational Success, The Fort Dodge Community Foundation, United Way, Crisis Intervention Services, and SOS (Serving our Servants). Coalition activities include helping organize neighborhood watches, conducting “parent café” outreach and education sessions, holding town hall meetings, and launching a “see something, say something” media campaign.
RVCRI is an effort funded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) to assist rural communities seeking to address violent crime.
The DOJ Bureau of Justice Assistance is supporting data-driven, comprehensive responses to crime in some of the country’s most troubled communities through BCJI.