NCJ Number
210839
Journal
Law Enforcement Technology Volume: 32 Issue: 7 Dated: July 2005 Pages: 86,88-92,94,95
Date Published
July 2005
Length
8 pages
Annotation
Initiatives in Ohio and West Virginia are linking police officers to information in a variety of databases prior to a traffic stop.
Abstract
After gaining 7 years of experience in computerizing the Columbus Division of Police (Ohio), Keith Singleton left the department in 2001 to found Armada Group, Inc., in Westerville, OH. From its inception, the company focused on e-commerce applicable to small, local police departments. Armada's featured concept involved the use of a Web browser to deliver a variety of information from multiple databases to field officers with PCs in their patrol cars. Armada's browser-based tool, accessed by Internet Explorer, is an interface for sharing and collecting law enforcement data, called the Intelligent Linked Information Networked Collaboration System (iLincs). It can be used as a subscription-based service paid monthly. Ohio's Office of Criminal Justice Services funded an iLincs 2-year pilot program with 6 agencies, followed by expansion of the project to 25 agencies with 800 officers and 150-175 patrol cars involved. Helped by funding from the Department of Homeland Security under its focus on interoperability among emergency response agencies, iLincs achieved information sharing across agencies that use disparate records management systems without each agency having to make costly changes. In addition to Ohio, West Virginia has also implemented iLincs. Among the types of databases accessed through iLincs for input and output are fingerprints, intelligence, ID photographs, criminal history, license plate numbers, outstanding warrants, and sex offender registries. Such information can be directly accessible to patrol officers in their cars prior to and during a traffic stop. Funding information is provided.