ATF Deploys Spanish eTrace to Mexico, Guatemala and Costa Rica

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) today announced a two-phase rollout of eTrace 4.0, the newest version of ATF's web-based firearms tracing software, to the governments of Mexico, Guatemala and Costa Rica. The bilingual edition, commonly called Spanish eTrace, will allow law enforcement agencies in those countries to easily capitalize on the full benefits of eTrace in Spanish or English, and will provide data conventions in accordance with international standards. The first phase of the rollout is a live release of the software, in limited deployment to Mexico and the two Central American governments, in order to gauge system performance in a real-world user environment and to address user feedback. The second phase will entail full deployment to other international partners in Spanish-speaking nations. (A full news conference and demonstration of the new system is being planned at ATF headquarters as part of the second phase deployment.) "Spanish eTrace marks the beginning of a new stage of cooperation between ATF and its international partners," said ATF Deputy Director Kenneth E. Melson. "It will strengthen our efforts as we stand together at the frontlines against gun violence and illegal firearms trafficking. We must identify those who put guns in the hands of criminals, and comprehensive tracing of all recovered crime guns is the first step by law enforcement in stopping the violence that plagues many communities inside and outside the United States." Full release.