NCJ Number
229180
Journal
Law Enforcement Technology Volume: 36 Issue: 10 Dated: October 2009 Pages: 76,78,80
Date Published
October 2009
Length
4 pages
Annotation
This article describes a system provided by Information Management Corporation (IMC) that enables small- and medium-sized police agencies in a regional network to access specified databases of other agencies in the network.
Abstract
The system, called Cross Agency Data Sharing (CADS), connects IMC customers, their case reports, and master names lists by using each member agency's existing IMC databases. CADS operates on a "hub and spoke" system. One department, usually the one with the best connection, hosts the server or the "hub." Other agencies in the network connect as "spokes" and do not connect directly to each other. CADS is one module in IMC's product family, but it does not require the other modules in order to work. CADS can be implemented in four steps. First, develop policies regarding what data to share through the system, how to use it, and any restrictions. Second, choose the "hub" agency. Third, set up a secure Internet protocol (IP) connection between each "spoke" agency and the "hub." Fourth, install IMC mobile software on each agency's computers so individual officers may run their own queries. CADS has been installed in 150 agencies in the United States. Although the "hubs" are not currently linked, this is planned for the future in Massachusetts, and State-to-State data sharing is theoretically possible. This article concludes with a discussion of cost savings in relation to the installation of CADS.