NCJ Number
54085
Date Published
1978
Length
11 pages
Annotation
THE AUTOMATED REGIONAL JUSTICE INFORMATION SYSTEM (ARJIS) USED IN SAN DIEGO COUNTY (CALIF.) IS DESCRIBED, ALONG WITH PROBLEMS ENCOUNTERED IN ITS ESTABLISHMENT AND THE USE OF TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER.
Abstract
ARJIS CONSISTS OF TWO INTERDEPENDENT PARTS, THE LAW ENFORCEMENT PORTION AND THE JUSTICE PORTION. THE LAW ENFORCEMENT PORTION ALLOWS AUTHORIZED USERS TO INQUIRE FROM VARIOUS CITY, COUNTY, STATE, AND FEDERAL LAW ENFORCEMENT COMPUTER SYSTEMS IF THERE IS ANY INFORMATION IN THE ENTIRE SYSTEM ABOUT A PARTICULAR PERSON, PLACE, OR THING, HOW SUCH INFORMATION IS KNOWN, AND WHERE THAT INFORMATION MAY BE OBTAINED. THE LAW ENFORCEMENT PORTION DEALS WITH ALL INFORMATION UP THROUGH THE BOOKING OF A SUSPECT, AND THE JUSTICE PORTION HANDLES ALL COMPUTERIZED INFORMATION AFTER BOOKING. IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF ARJIS, ONE SIGNIFICANT PROBLEM WAS MISINFORMATION CIRCULATING AMONG POTENTIAL USERS. ANOTHER PROBLEM WAS THAT USERS WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO AFFORD THE SYSTEM WHEN IT WAS FINALLY AVAILABLE. USERS ALSO WERE FRUSTRATED WHEN THEY COULD NOT SEE ANY USABLE PRODUCTS FROM THE SYSTEM AFTER A YEAR AND A HALF OF OPERATION. IN ORDER TO EXPEDITE THE PRODUCTION OF USABLE PRODUCTS AND INCREASE VISIBILITY AND USER CONFIDENCE, THE STAFF USED TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER. THIS REQUIRED THAT A 3277 TERMINAL NETWORK BE CREATED TO TIE EACH LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY INTO THE CITY COMPUTER UNTIL THE VARIOUS INTERFACE PROBLEMS COULD BE SOLVED. THE TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER WAS USED IN THE AREAS OF CRIME ANALYSIS AND AUTOMATED ALLOCATION. WHILE THIS INVOLVED ADDITIONAL COSTS IT DID INCREASE USER CONFIDENCE IN THE VIABILITY AND IMPORTANCE OF THE PLANNED SYSTEM. ALTHOUGH THE USE OF TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER WAS APPROPRIATE FOR THE SAN DIEGO COUNTY CIRCUMSTANCE, ITS USE IN EACH SITUATION SHOULD BE EVALUATED CAREFULLY. (RCB)