Tacoma, Wash. (December 29, 2011) – The Pierce County Prosecutor’s Office convicted two Spanaway men arrested for weapons and drug charges after an extensive investigation. The joint investigation by the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department’s Special Investigations Unit (SIU) and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, was aided by the Law Enforcement Support Agency’s new real-time crime center, LARIAT (LESA Accelerated Response Using Integrated Analysis and Technology).

Created by a federal grant awarded to LESA, LARIAT is staffed by analysts who monitor 9-1-1 calls and serve as a collection and analysis point for law enforcement in the field, providing valuable information as officers respond to calls. LARIAT analysts work with small pieces of information to identify criminals using police and public information.

The ATF Tacoma Satellite Office was one of the first federal agencies to take full advantage of LARIAT services.

“I have been extremely impressed again and again by the assistance I have received from LARIAT,” the ATF case agent said. “In this case, all we had was a name… I passed the suspect’s name and approximate age to LARIAT and they did the rest. LARIAT had a significant role in the success of this investigation.”

Justin Allan Braae, 21, was sentenced to 82 months of incarceration for Unlawful Possession of a Short-Barreled Shotgun and Unlawful Delivery of a Controlled Substance, and John Robert Raring, 21, was sentenced to 20 months of incarceration for the Unlawful Possession of a Short-Barreled Shotgun and Unlawful Possession of a Controlled Substance.

Braae sold oxycodone pills to a confidential informant working for PCSD SIU. Each time he delivered pills to the informant, Braae possessed a firearm. Braae had an extensive criminal history out of Montana, a fact brought to law enforcement attention by LARIAT. When law enforcement arrested Braae, Raring was with him. Further investigation revealed that Braae and Raring were co-conspirators in armed drug-trafficking. During the investigation, law enforcement officers recovered nine firearms, three sets of body armor and over 30 oxycodone pills.

About the Law Enforcement Support Agency
LESA provides 9-1-1 call-taking, police dispatch, and records and technology services for law enforcement agencies serving approximately 96% of the Pierce County population. A leader in law enforcement technology solutions for law enforcement, LESA’s LARIAT project represents the first steps toward Next Generation 9-1-1. For more information about LESA and LARIAT, visit www.lesa.net.