MARION COUNTY, Ind. —  A recent connection between an auto break-in that occurred in Belfast and a notorious gang known to be active in 34 states, highlights the expansive reach of the group. 

The Felony Lane Gang, which earned its name due to their habit of using the outer lane of banks to complete their crimes, is the target of a newly strengthened network of 92 law enforcement agencies, according to a press release from the Marion County, Ind., Sheriff's Office.

The release focused on measures being taken to combat the gang, including the Felony Lane Gang Working Group, which includes selected federal agencies and financial institutions in addition to other law enforcement entities.

The group announced they will use software to "strengthen the ongoing investigation into the coordinated group of over 100 thieves," according to the press release.

The Felony Lane Gang has been active for more than five years, and is responsible for allegedly stealing tens of millions of dollars. The software, provided by Wynyard Advanced Crime Analytics and CrimeNtel, will be used to allow crime analysts "across the country to input and access data," according to the release.

The Marion County Indiana Sheriff's Office is responsible for collecting and analyzing data gathered by the many other law enforcement agencies. They say the software will enable patterns to emerge, in addition to other "relationships, insights, anomalies and timelines that can be used to identify and prosecute suspects."  

The software works by allowing investigators to perform link analysis, mapping, visualization and other methods to identify previously unrealized relationships between suspects.

Jeff Hammer, an intelligence analyst with the Marion County Sheriff's Office, was quoted as saying the Sheriff's Office believes "this new technology will be a major advantage for our analysts and will help us move faster and work smarter in a variety of ways."

Despite "a number of gang members," having been convicted and imprisoned, the group continues to grow and spread.

The Midcoast remains one of the newest links in the already lengthy chain, after checks stolen from a vehicle in Belfast were deposited to an account in Portland.

Related link:

• Marion County Sheriff’s Office - Indianapolis, Ind.

Editor’s note: This story was edited to correct the Marion County Sheriff’s Office’s location/state.

Erica Thoms can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com