By Nate Bertasso
The attorney general’s office launched a Web site intended to help Utah investigators solve crimes.
The site, www.UTAP.org, is maintained by the Utah criminal Tracking and Analysis Project, a division of the Utah Attorney General’s office.
Utah Attorney General’s office chief of investigations Mike King said the Web site offers information and pictures on unsolved homicides, missing persons and unidentified bodies.
People with information on the crime can e-mail investigators in the appropriate jurisdiction, King said. King and Provo Police Chief Greg Cooper developed the program.
King said UTAP is receiving accolades throughout the nation and other states are considering implementing similar programs.
“By involving the public in the investigations via the Web site, we can provide more eyes, ears, and theories to the investigator for consideration,” King said.
Cooper, also the UTAP State chair, said the organization has assisted in dozens of cases since its inception.
Cooper said it is effective because jurisdictions still maintain control of the case while benefiting from the expertise of the review board.
“Everyone wins and justice is more quickly served,” Cooper said.
The review board provides expertise in medicine, crime-scene analysis and forensic psychology, King said.
King said prisoners who have been convicted of serious and heinous crimes are interviewed to help investigators understand the crime better.
UTAP also provides training for criminal justice professionals concerning serial crimes.
King said he hopes the Web site will encourage people to be involved and provide information to help solve these cases.
UTAP, the first organization of its kind, was formed in 1997 to coordinate tipsters with law enforcement agencies concerning major criminal cases, King said.
