FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE OPA

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 16, (202) 514-2007

2006 TDD (202) 514-1888
WWW.USDOJ.GOV

Department of Justice and Canadian

Law Enforcement Agencies
Work Together to Fight Gun Crime
WASHINGTON — U.S. Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales and Canadian
Minister of Public Safety Stockwell Day today signed a memorandum of
understanding (MOU) at the ninth annual United States-Canada Cross-Border Crime
Forum. The agreement allows for the electronic exchange of ballistics information
between the two countries.

Prior to the agreement, there was a limited manual exchange of ballistics

information, which was time-consuming and cumbersome. Now, through electronic
access, both countries will be able to connect firearms and bullets used in one or
more crime scenes across North America. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco,
Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP)
will be the lead agencies responsible for implementing this important law
enforcement agreement.

"This agreement paves the way for greater law enforcement collaboration between
the United States and Canada," said Attorney General Gonzales. "It will aid criminal
investigations involving firearms on both sides of the border and will help ensure
the safety of citizens of both nations."

"Criminals are not afraid of crossing the border and committing more crimes using
the same illegal weapons," said Minister Day. "With today's agreement, our law
enforcement agencies will be able to solve more crimes by connecting firearms and
bullets used in one or more crime scenes across North America."

This agreement is one instance of a long track record of collaboration between the
United States and Canada, including the establishment of the ATF Office of
Assistant Country Attaché in Toronto, mutual assistance with firearms tracing, and
joint training initiatives.

The United States and Canada have consistently engaged in collaborative efforts to
effectively share intelligence and information in an effort to stem the illegal flow of
U.S.-sourced firearms to Canada. The two nations have instituted the following
measures to help fight transnational crime:

*Sharing Forensic Firearms Data – The MOU signed today by Attorney General
Gonzales and Minister Day enhances the ability of the ATF and the RCMP to share
forensic ballistics information electronically and in real time through the Integrated
Ballistics Identification System (IBIS). IBIS allows law enforcement officials to
collect and search images of bullets and cartridge cases recovered from crime
scenes and from the test fires of firearms seized by law enforcement officers.
Previously, this information could only be shared by the two countries on a case-by-
case basis. This agreement will help connect the two systems and will save law
enforcement officers time and effort, allowing them to spend more time solving
crimes and less time filling out paperwork.

*Assistant Country Attaché – In an effort to properly address the issue of illegal

U.S.-sourced firearms in Canada, ATF has expanded its presence in Canada and in
August, 2005, assigned an Assistant Country Attaché to focus on the Greater
Toronto area’s rise in firearms related violence. ATF works closely with the
Provincial Weapons Enforcement Unit (PWEU) to support its mandate of tracing
firearms used in crimes. ATF facilitates collateral investigations and coordinates
efforts in the U.S. to investigate, arrest, and prosecute individuals who traffic
firearms illegally into Canada.

*Comprehensive Gun Analysis and Tracing – In the fall of 2005, in the wake of an
increase in gun violence in the Toronto area, ATF and the RCMP signed an
agreement that allows RCMP to use ATF’s eTrace system to electronically trace
firearms recovered at crime scenes in Canada. Systematic tracing of firearms assists
with interdiction efforts of those firearms originating in the U.S. and allows for the
identification of sources of such firearms. Canada’s Firearms Tracing and
Enforcement Program, which is a PWEU initiative, has been providing analysis on
guns sourced to the United States for the past several years. The RCMP’s National
Tracing Unit and PWEU are successfully using ATF’s e-Trace to submit requests to
ATF’s National Tracing Center Division.

*Joint Collaboration with Initiatives – ATF is currently working with the Crime Gun
Analysis Team in Toronto on firearms-related investigations, coordinating any
assistance requested by the Ontario PWEU under this new initiative, assisting with
firearms tracing, and any collateral investigations requested from ATF in the United
States. ATF also coordinates mutual training initiatives with Canadian law
enforcement, such as International Firearms Trafficking Schools and the Serial
Number Restoration Training.

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