Arson task force formed in Johnstown

March 30--Johnstown police and fire departments have joined with federal and state agencies and the insurance industry to beef up arson investigations through a new fire investigation task force.

"It is going to give us opportunities to reach out and get more resources," city fire Chief Anthony Kovacic said.

Others participating in the task force include state attorney general's Insurance Fraud Division, National Insurance Crime Bureau, Cambria County district attorney's office detectives, state police fire marshals and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

"We've been looking at doing something to improve our investigation skills for suspicious fires for about 2 to 3 years," Johnstown police Sgt. Erin Kabler said.

"It was a matter of getting the right people in place and getting the right training."

The task force can help investigators dig deeper after the state police fire marshal determines the cause and origin of a suspicious fire, Kabler said.

Combining expertise in the forensics of a fire scene and analytics of such things as property ownership and insurance claims will solve more suspicious fires, he said.

"We can track all that stuff behind the scenes," Kabler said.

In addition to expanding resources for arson investigations, the task force could pave the way for additional cooperation among the agencies, organizers say.

"It should be noted that there has never been this level of cooperation among these agencies to combat arson-related crimes in Cambria County in the past," the task force said in a news release.

"The unprecedented effort will be a model of how agencies can come together to make the city of Johnstown safer."

Randy Griffith is a multimedia reporter for The Tribune-Democrat. He can be reached at 532-5057. Follow him on Twitter @PhotoGriffer57.

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