State Criminal Police Office of Thuringia

State Criminal Police Office of Thuringia
State level	Free State of Thuringia
position	State authority
Supervisory authority	Thuringian Ministry of the Interior and Local Affairs
founding	July 1, 1991
Headquarters	Erfurt , Thuringia
Authority management	Jens Kehr (President)
Servants	551 civil servants, 105 employees (2016)
Web presence	www.polizei.thueringen.de

The Thuringian State Criminal Police Office is the upper state authority of the Thuringian Police and the Thuringian Ministry of the Interior and Local Affairs . It is the central office for police information and communication and coordinates and supports the operations and investigations of all Thuringian police stations, to which it can issue instructions and make recommendations in individual cases.

Jens Kehr has been President since September 25, 2018. The head office is in Erfurt . In the immediate vicinity, a new authority center was built from August 2009 for several Thuringian police stations .

history

Weimar Republic (1920–1930)

The first forerunner of the Thuringian State Criminal Police Office was founded on July 3, 1922 at the Thuringian Ministry of the Interior as a criminal department (department K), which was directly subordinate to the minister and was made up of local police officers. They were exclusively responsible for “matters in connection with clubs, associations and persons who pursued anti-state purposes as well as forbidden and dissolved clubs and associations”, which was equivalent to a political police. The first State Criminal Police Office, still under a different name, was founded on April 24, 1923 as the State Criminal Police Office and emerged from Department K with independent authority activities. Its tasks were similar, but expanded to include the areas of combating espionage and punishing all violations of the " Republic Protection Act ".

A year later, the office was renamed the State Criminal Police Office and developed into the central criminal authority in the country. As a result, the local police authorities were also involved in the work of the LKA. In 1926, the State Office of Criminal Investigation consisted of four detectives, an unknown number of officers posted from other authorities, and three office officials. On March 29, 1930, however, the LKA was dissolved again as an independent authority and incorporated into the Weimar Police Department as a state criminal police station .

Reunification until today

The agency was set up in February 1991 and started its work in July 1991. The first head of the State Criminal Police Office was Helmut Schweigert , who was replaced by Uwe Kranz on November 4, 1991 . Kranz was named the agency's first president in the summer of 1993 . He was temporarily followed in 1997 by Egon Luthardt until Harald Kunkel was appointed President of the authority in 2000. From 2004 to 2008 Helmut Huber was President. Werner Jakstat was initially entrusted with the official business as head of the authority from September 2008 and was appointed fourth president in October 2010. Frank-Michael Schwarz was appointed President in February 2016.

By 2001, the authority's area of responsibility was expanded to include special areas such as forensic technology , the Special Operations Command (SEK) and the State Police Department .

Aerial view of the new building complex for the Thuringian authorities, State Criminal Police Office and riot police (2014)

In 2009, the new construction of the State Criminal Police Office, planned since 2007, began in the vicinity of the current location of the authorities. The foundation stone was laid on August 3, 2009. The cost of the new building was around 70 million euros and a further 9 million euros for equipment, laboratories and technical equipment. In 2013 and 2014, the complete interior work was carried out after the shell had been completed. After construction delays, the building was handed over to future users in December 2014 and they were occupied by March 2015.

tasks

According to Section 1 (2) of the Federal Criminal Police Office Act (BKAG), the federal states maintain the state criminal police offices as the central offices of the criminal police on their territory. The state criminal police offices ensure cooperation between the federal and state governments in the fight against crime.

The Thuringian State Criminal Police Office is the central office of the Thuringian Police for criminal investigation tasks. As such, it is responsible in particular to carry out forensic and identification investigations and to prepare expert reports, to coordinate the fight against crime and to collect and evaluate the data relevant for the fight against crime. It is authorized to issue administrative regulations with the approval of the Thuringian Ministry of the Interior .

Further tasks and responsibilities of the State Criminal Police Office result from the Thuringian guideline for the implementation of the Police Organization Act (RLPOG). The State Office of Criminal Investigation was also assigned the technical supervision of the Thuringian police stations by means of an ordinance issued by the Thuringian Ministry of the Interior .

The tasks of the State Criminal Police Office of Thuringia are divided into the main areas:

Central office

As the central office, the State Criminal Police Office primarily organizes technical cooperation between the Thuringian police stations and with other national and international, mainly European, police authorities.

The Thuringian State Criminal Police Office is, among other things, the central office:

for the criminal police cooperation of the Thuringian police with the Federal Criminal Police Office, the Federal Police, the customs and financial administration as well as with the state criminal investigation offices of other federal states and the intelligence services of the federal and state governments as well as the implementation of international police cooperation, including mutual legal assistance and the maintenance of a coordination office for Europol and for international searches ,
for the strategic and operative evaluation of the development of crime,
for the implementation of case analysis procedures and case advice in cases of serious crime (case analysis, incident analysis and perpetrator profiling ),
for the fight against computer crime ( cybercrime ) and politically motivated crime (PMK),
for witness protection in the context of criminal prosecution,
for the operation of forensic and identification service facilities as well as the submission of forensic and identification service reports for criminal and administrative fine proceedings upon request of police stations, public prosecutors and courts and their representation in court as well
for the police information and communication system of the Thuringian police; In addition, the State Criminal Police Office is responsible for the planning and development of information and communication systems for the Thuringian police and operation, unless this is ensured by the Center for Information Processing (ZIV) of the Thuringian state administration.

Criminal Police Department

The Thuringia State Criminal Police Office is a criminal police department with its own responsibility for processing criminal offenses, including cases of organized crime , high and state treason, endangering the democratic legal system, the formation of terrorist organizations , counterfeiting of money and stamps , and certain criminal offenses under the law of weapons , serious narcotics crime as well as serious economic and corruption offenses .

In addition, the responsibility includes police administrative tasks and services such as:

the decision on requests for information from personal documents and data in supra-regional police personal collections in agreement with the police authority responsible for the files and, if necessary, informing the Federal Criminal Police Office ,
the performance of the tasks of the telecommunications surveillance office, the use of technical means for data collection,
the provision of special units and special forces:
- Special task force and mobile task force,
- Advisory group for cases of the most serious violent crime,
- Office of the negotiating group ,
- Unconventional explosive devices and incendiary devices ,
- Crime scene group,
Processing of all types of background and security checks ,
the provision of information and communication systems,
the operation of the authorized body for digital radio .

Authority structure

organization

The state police Thuringia comprises six divisions with 24 departments with . Management support is provided by the Controlling / Quality Management / Presidential Office. There is also a project group for the new building on Kranichfelder Straße in Erfurt.

Central Services Department
State Police Department (politically motivated crime, politically motivated foreign crime, personal protection)
Mission and investigation support department (including measures accompanying operations, special units, covert measures)
Forensic Science Department (including fire detection, DNA analysis, forensics)
Information and Communication Department
Evaluation and Investigation Department (including organized crime, white-collar crime)

staff

Distribution of the positions of the Thuringian State Office of Criminal Investigation into police officers, administrative officers and paid employees

The state budget for 2016/2017 provides for 551 civil servant positions and 105 salaried employees for the Thuringia State Criminal Police Office in 2016. The posts are available for law enforcement officers , administrative officers and paid employees.

In addition to the professional group of law enforcement officers, a large number of employees from other professions are employed in the State Criminal Police Office. So are u. a. Scientists from the fields of mathematics, physics, chemistry and engineers are employed in the forensic science department. Computer scientists and other specialists are also employed in the Information and Communication and Operations and Investigation Support department. Graduated business economists, psychologists and lawyers work in the evaluation and investigation department.

budget

In accordance with the Thuringian budget 2016/2017, the Thuringia State Criminal Police Office was allocated a budget of € 38,595,700 for 2016, which is divided into various household groups:

Expenses (approach)	2015 budget year	Financial year 2016	Financial year 2017
Personnel expenses	€ 28,601,100	€ 29,157,200	€ 29,668,900
Material administrative expenses and debt servicing expenses	€ 7,979,400	€ 7,116,100	€ 7,160,600
Expenses for grants and grants other than investments	€ 15,000	€ 6,000	€ 6,000
Other expenses for investments and investment promotion measures	€ 2,326,000	€ 2,316,400	€ 1,661,300
total	€ 38,921,500	€ 38,595,700	€ 38,496,800

collaboration

National cooperation

As part of the cross-state cooperation, employees of the State Criminal Police Office are represented in commissions, project and expert groups. You also represent the state of Thuringia in security cooperations with the Free State of Saxony and the federal states of Brandenburg and Saxony-Anhalt. The LKA is also involved in cooperation with other authorities and institutions (e.g. in the area of the interior department, the judiciary, the economy and the environment as well as aviation security).

International cooperation

The Thuringian State Office of Criminal Investigation works with the Europol office in The Hague and regularly takes part in Europol expert meetings. The Free State of Thuringia receives information about the latest developments and tendencies in various criminal phenomena, which can be better combated in this way.

The legal assistance office , in cooperation with the Federal Criminal Police Office, coordinates and controls police official traffic with foreign countries for the Thuringian police and the judicial authorities. The International Police Cooperation (IPZ) evaluates, approves and controls incoming and outgoing international requests in criminal matters for Thuringia. It is responsible for initiating international searches by means of European or international arrest warrants and in this context also coordinates the participation of Thuringian police officers in official acts abroad. International Police Cooperation also acts as the central point of contact for Europol matters.

Investigation priorities

Since 1991, complex investigations and measures have been carried out continuously by the State Criminal Police Office and, with its support, the Thuringian police. Today the agency has two investigation departments in which extensive and complex criminal offenses are dealt with.

Politically motivated crime

The State Criminal Police Office of Thuringia conducts investigative proceedings into outstanding and high-profile crimes of politically motivated crime -rechts- (PMK -rechts-), -links- (PMK -links-) and politically motivated foreigner crime (PMAK) as well as national and transnational investigative proceedings if necessary, the federal, state and Free State offices when processing their own investigative proceedings in the field of politically motivated crime.

With the help of the evaluation, the investigation area carries out structural determinations on groupings, organizations and associations as well as on scene-typical meeting and collection points, mail order businesses, scene shops and production facilities.

The fight against right-wing extremism is a focus in the Free State of Thuringia. In the area of the PMK -rechts- evaluation, detailed information and data are evaluated, processed and recorded against this background in order to be able to identify and assess situations and trends in good time. In the spring of 2013, the Thuringian Ministry of the Interior set up an investigation team that initially worked in the structure of a special organizational structure (BAO) . The BAO “Central Investigations and Structural Clarification - Law” (BAO ZESAR) is affiliated with the State Police Department in the Thuringia State Criminal Police Office. The aim is to optimize the fight against PMK -right-, in particular militant, violent and violent right-wing extremist or right-wing terrorist activities in a holistic approach and intensive cooperation between all security authorities.

The BAO ZESAR condenses local knowledge into supraregional situation information across departments and through active information gathering inside and outside of investigation procedures. From this, law enforcement as well as prevention approaches can be derived. Prosecution against right-wing extremists is being made more effective by conducting collective proceedings and criminal investigations, and the search for fugitive right-wing extremists is being intensified.

When the criminal offenses of the National Socialist Underground (NSU) terror group became known in November 2011, the security authorities realized that the activities of this group had been incorrectly assessed for years and that connections were not recognized. Noticeable misconduct in this field were discussed in several NSU investigative committees .

A “ Joint Defense Center against Right-Wing Extremism / Right-Wing Terrorism ” (GAR) was set up with the aim of improving cooperation between the federal and state security authorities. This is intended to improve the exchange of information between the police and intelligence service security authorities of the federal and state levels. The Thuringia State Criminal Police Office sends an officer to the GAR.

The threat situation in the Federal Republic of Germany and thus also in the Free State of Thuringia is largely determined by the threat from the area of Islamist terrorism.

The authorities represented in the “Joint Counter-Terrorism Center” (GTAZ) increased their cooperation at various levels and forums through the operational exchange of information and in various working groups. The Thuringian State Criminal Police Office is permanently represented in the GTAZ by an official.

White-collar crime

Investigators from the Thuringian State Office of Criminal Investigation process white-collar crime proceedings. Personnel come from various specialist areas such as B. auditors and accountants, financial investigators and IT specialists are used. The State Criminal Police Office of Thuringia handles complex investigative proceedings, some of which have extensive international references and are accompanied by a high level of publicity. For example, the investigation complex "KI.KA" led to charges being brought before the Erfurt Regional Court in April 2011.

Organized crime and biker crime

As part of the fight against organized crime , biker crime is handled centrally at the Thuringia State Criminal Police Office . On the basis of analysis and evaluation knowledge, the phenomenon of rocker crime increasingly developed into a focus of organized crime .

Cybercrime

In the third quarter of 2014, the Cybercrime Department was founded in line with the increasing importance of IT technology in the commissioning of criminal offenses . Until then, at least one investigative group was investigating, in particular, crimes related to child pornography .

Mission and investigation support

Targeting

The Target Search Command, founded in 1994, is one of the smallest commandos in Germany. It is used to arrest selected criminals who are accused of capital crimes , serious violations of the Narcotics Act , significant economic crimes or acts of robbery and who are classified as particularly dangerous. 189 arrests had been made by 2014, 157 of them abroad.

Crime scene group

Crime scene group work at a crime scene

The crime scene group coordinates forensic crime scene work and organizes cooperation in the search for evidence and securing evidence with other police stations. It is used in particular in the case of capital crimes, violent terrorist crime and large-scale damage to a considerable extent. In addition, the crime scene group takes action at the request of the state police department, other state criminal investigation offices or the federal criminal investigation office.

With the securing of the objective crime scene or incident site findings and their operative evaluation, objective material evidence is to be secured and documented for the upcoming criminal proceedings without gaps and conclusively.

Personal protection

The State Criminal Police Office is responsible for protecting designated representatives of the Free State of Thuringia. The main objective of this personal protection is the prevention or defense of physical attacks or attacks that are directed against the freedom of will and action of the endangered persons.

Forensic science

Insight into one of the forensic science laboratories in Kranichfelder Strasse, Erfurt / Germany

The forensic technology department provides support work for the entire Thuringian police in obtaining and evaluating evidence in the investigation process by preparing reports in the following expert sections:

forensic chemistry, physics and fire analysis
forensic fiber and hair analysis and molecular genetics
forensic information and communication technology
technical traces of form, weapons, documents and manuscripts
Dactyloscopy , identification service

The forensic and identification service reports prepared as a result of the investigations at the request of the police, public prosecutor's offices and courts can also be represented by the experts in court if necessary.

Fire investigators, for example, support the police in determining the causes of fire and explosion on site.

As before, the classic forensic disciplines of dactyloscopy as well as traces of form and weapons are important sub-areas of forensic expertise , each with a very high volume of orders. In parallel, chemical, physical and biological examinations are carried out and evidence is examined.

The forensic information and communication technology division prepares order-related reports on criminal police issues with IT-related issues. The results of the investigation provide information for further police investigations.

criticism

Criticism in connection with the NSU

The LKA Thuringia is accused of serious failure in investigating the crimes of the so-called National Socialist Underground (NSU). The head of the state security police, Mario Melzer, who had complained to his superiors about hindrances to his investigative activities against the NSU, is prohibited from making public statements to the media by the authorities, even though he had already testified in public meetings in investigative committees of state parliaments and the Bundestag. An ARD documentary accuses employees of the authority of deliberately looking away, which resulted in the death of 10 people. The NSU investigation committees of the federal government and in Thuringia revealed a series of errors and inaccuracies in the investigative work of the LKA Thuringia. Among other things, an address list confiscated in January 1998 from NSU supporters from the neo-Nazi scene was hardly evaluated for 14 years and stored in the evidence room.

Investigations against own staff and trade unionists

After cameras were installed for more than a year in November 2010 to identify an alleged thief of toilet paper, it turned out that this was done without a resolution and thus illegally. An official who criticized the measure found himself the target of an investigation. The former LKA President Werner Jakstat initiated an internal procedure on the complaint. After the investigators were unsuccessful, Jakstat turned on the Erfurt public prosecutor's office . At least one state security officer was assigned to evaluate the video recordings, who mainly deals with neo-Nazis or left-wing extremists.

The state district executive of the police union Kai Christ was alleged to have disclosed test results to a police student. When no evidence was found, he was assumed to have had a relationship with the student. Christ's predecessor, Marko Grosa, was alleged to have embezzled 56 euros. With him were made seizure of his laptop and a house search . Over 20 unfounded proceedings are said to have been initiated. Grosa sees the cause and measures as "no longer given" trust in the rule of law .

Web links

Website of the Thuringia State Criminal Police Office

Individual evidence

↑ ^a ^b Website of the LKA Thuringia: History . Retrieved November 9, 2014
^ Thuringian Ministry of the Interior and Local Affairs, new police and LKA chief. Retrieved September 25, 2018 .
↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d § 3 Thuringian Police Organization Act , accessed on November 21, 2014
↑ Kai Mudra: Top post in the Thuringian police newly filled. Thüringer Allgemeine, September 26, 2018, accessed on September 26, 2018 .
↑ ^a ^b Sascha Münzel (Hrsg.): Sources on the history of Thuringia . tape 40 : The Thuringian Police from 1918 to 1933 . State Center for Political Education Thuringia, Erfurt 2016, ISBN 978-3-931426-03-3 , p. 16-180 .
↑ Former heads of authorities must be in front of the Investigation Committee - Thüringer Allgemeine
↑ Officials complain of malaise: an expert examines health hazards in the Thuringian State Criminal Police Office. (April 11, 2015)
↑ TLKA website: Structure , accessed on November 22, 2014
↑ State budget 2013/2014, Section 03 - Thuringian Ministry of the Interior and Local Affairs. (pdf) p. 139 , accessed on February 15, 2016 .
↑ State budget 2016/2017, Section 03 - Thuringian Ministry of the Interior and Local Affairs. (pdf) p. 139 , accessed on February 15, 2016 .
↑ Julia Jüttner: Thuringian Neo-Nazi Committee: "That was TNT and not baking powder". Der Spiegel , December 3, 2012.
↑ ^a ^b The Zschäpe trial - brown terror in court. ARD, Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk , April 15, 2013.
↑ Dirk Adams: Report of the Committee of Inquiry 5/1 "Right-wing Terrorism and Authorities Act". ( Memento from February 5, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Thuringian State Parliament , printed matter 5/8080 from July 14, 2014.
↑ Imke Schmincke, Jasmin Siri : NSU Terror: Investigations on the Right Abyss. Event, contexts, discourses. transcript Verlag, Bielefeld 2014, ISBN 978-3-7328-2394-9 , p. 29
↑ ^a ^b Does the Thuringian LKA go over corpses? MDR "exactly" from July 9, 2014.
↑ Julia Jüttner: Search for toilet paper thief: State protection from the role. In: SPON of September 20, 2014.

50.959822 11.0526Coordinates: 50 ° 57 '35.4 " N , 11 ° 3' 9.4" E

[geschichte-1] Website of the LKA Thuringia: History . Retrieved November 9, 2014

[2] Thuringian Ministry of the Interior and Local Affairs, new police and LKA chief. Retrieved September 25, 2018 .

[3POG-3] § 3 Thuringian Police Organization Act , accessed on November 21, 2014

[kehr-4] Kai Mudra: Top post in the Thuringian police newly filled. Thüringer Allgemeine, September 26, 2018, accessed on September 26, 2018 .

[:0-5] Sascha Münzel (Hrsg.): Sources on the history of Thuringia . tape 40 : The Thuringian Police from 1918 to 1933 . State Center for Political Education Thuringia, Erfurt 2016, ISBN 978-3-931426-03-3 , p. 16-180 .

[6] Former heads of authorities must be in front of the Investigation Committee - Thüringer Allgemeine

[neubau_ta-7] Officials complain of malaise: an expert examines health hazards in the Thuringian State Criminal Police Office. (April 11, 2015)

[8] TLKA website: Structure , accessed on November 22, 2014

[9] State budget 2013/2014, Section 03 - Thuringian Ministry of the Interior and Local Affairs. (pdf) p. 139 , accessed on February 15, 2016 .

[10] State budget 2016/2017, Section 03 - Thuringian Ministry of the Interior and Local Affairs. (pdf) p. 139 , accessed on February 15, 2016 .

[11] Julia Jüttner: Thuringian Neo-Nazi Committee: "That was TNT and not baking powder". Der Spiegel , December 3, 2012.

[ARD-12] The Zschäpe trial - brown terror in court. ARD, Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk , April 15, 2013.

[13] Dirk Adams: Report of the Committee of Inquiry 5/1 "Right-wing Terrorism and Authorities Act". ( Memento from February 5, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Thuringian State Parliament , printed matter 5/8080 from July 14, 2014.

[14] Imke Schmincke, Jasmin Siri : NSU Terror: Investigations on the Right Abyss. Event, contexts, discourses. transcript Verlag, Bielefeld 2014, ISBN 978-3-7328-2394-9 , p. 29

[MDRex1-15] Does the Thuringian LKA go over corpses? MDR "exactly" from July 9, 2014.

[SPON140920-16] Julia Jüttner: Search for toilet paper thief: State protection from the role. In: SPON of September 20, 2014.