TANC: Rethinking Policy and Practice in Cold Case

The TANC organization is a new "think tank" dedicated to providing support and assistance in addressing the many issues related to the resolution of unsolved violent crimes (Figure 1). The TANC is comprised of a group of highly experienced, nationally recognized experts and investigators from a wide section of disciplines who are in a position to provide technical and legal support, develop sound recommendations, and most of all bring awareness to the thousands of unsolved violent crimes (i.e. homicide, sexual assault, and missing and unidentified persons). This group was born out of a cold case working group established the by National Institute of Justice, who recognized the need for collaboration and coordination within the medico-legal community for supporting agencies as they address policy issues pertinent to violent crime investigations. The core of mission of TANC is the belief that all open and unresolved cases of violent crime should be investigated to the fullest extent possible, in an attempt to bring about a final, just, resolution. Quite often, long-term unresolved cases could benefit from a technical review, including the application of modern forensic and investigative methods, to bring the case to the level of contemporary standards. Sadly, that is far from reality for many reasons. We recognize there are many dedicated criminal justice professionals who work diligently to resolve cold cases. However, the problems that are encountered when dealing with cold cases are not unique and often exceed the capacity of individual investigators. These challenges are prevalent across jurisdictions. In the area of violent crimes, TANC recognized these challenges and the need to work collaboratively, share finite resources, and organize our efforts to affect violent crime investigations in a positive way. Simply put, the investigation of cold cases should not be an option or luxury. We believe that through organizing our efforts, it is possible to bring national attention to the problem of cold case, to change the current response to cold cases, to provide a venue for those dedicated professionals, and to help bring resolution to the many victims and their families.