With a close look at homicides that took place in the past, but also with a view to the current and future investigative work of the NRW police, the investigators are retrieving all documents relating to cold cases from the filing cabinets. Unsolved homicides between 1970 and 2015 are currently being digitally recorded and processed in the local police authorities with the support of specially recruited former investigators.
This digitalization is intended to ensure that valuable information is not lost. On the other hand, the experienced investigators are looking for new investigative approaches. To ensure that the individual data and facts can all be retrieved quickly in the cold cases database created in 2017, they are continuously working through file by file. "I'm amazed at how good a condition some of the documents are still in when you consider that they were written on a typewriter several decades ago," says Berthold Kunkel, who has been working as a cold case support officer since November 2021 and has been entrusted with the important task of filling the database and processing the cases, among other things.
A numerical code and defined parameters, which are taken into account by all colleagues during digitization, ensure that targeted searches or filtering according to specific criteria are possible in the database. "This may even make it possible to identify previously undiscovered connections between two unsolved homicides," says Director of Criminal Investigation Colin B. Nierenz, head of the BAO Cold Cases. In contrast to the paper files, which are stored separately at the respective public prosecutor's offices and local police authorities, the cold cases database will be continuously expanded until it ultimately includes all unsolved cases in North Rhine-Westphalia. "An important tool - now, but also for future generations of investigators," Bodo Buschhausen, Head of Criminal Investigation Department 11 at Essen Police Headquarters, is convinced.
In addition to this cold cases database, a controlling tool is also used, which was set up by the "Investigations" section of the BAO Cold Cases and documents all changes and progress. "What is the current status? Which files have already been scanned and entered into the database? Which cases have not yet been distributed to the legacy investigators? - These and other questions can be answered using the control tables," explains Maikel Stiefel, who is responsible for controlling together with three other colleagues at Düsseldorf Police Headquarters. The tool also provides an overview that is helpful in managing the individual unsolved cases to the support staff. "We pay attention to various parameters when distributing cases," explains the senior detective superintendent. This prevents the investigators from being assigned crimes that they have already dealt with in their previous work. Possible limitation periods for homicides must also be taken into account. "Another decisive factor is whether there are any promising lines of inquiry that can be followed up."
Landeskriminalamt North Rhine-Westphalia
Telephone: +49 211 939 6666
Email: pressestelle.lka [at] polizei.nrw.de (pressestelle[dot]lka[at]polizei[dot]nrw[dot]de)
https://lka.polizei.nrw/