Issue link: http://lawandordermag.epubxp.com/i/109778
Crime Information Center), Secretary of State or other registration databases, and any other system being used. Eric Sargent, Sales Manager of CrimeStar, said their data-based program uses drop-down menus to assure that information is always entered consistently, such as Street versus St. and the master index backfills information when the correct subject is located. To ensure database integrity, ���garbage in, garbage out,��� duplicate records can be combined if someone has not entered the correct information and begun a new fle on an existing contact. Sargent is a former police chief and said that by the end of the frst year, you usually have all the ���frequent fyers��� entered into the system, saving a lot of data entry. The records management system should be able to recognize unique individuals, residences, organizations (both troublesome ones such as gangs and helpful ones such as businesses) and vehicles in order to be able to connect them and Sun Ridge Systems Mug Shot Module (Photo courtesy of Sun Ridge differentiate them. Using unique identiSystems) fers, such as FBI numbers, state criminal ID numbers, or social security numbers, tem is not able to come up with that information, there are all information on an individual should numerous offcer safety issues, as well as public safety issues. be available at the click of a mouse. This might sound like The RMS encompasses the entire system for maintaining pie-in-the-sky, but all of the above is not just possible but is that department���s information from the time that information currently in practice. is generated until it is no longer needed and includes classifying, retention, storing, securing, and destruction of records. Moving Data Between Systems It includes any kind of incident or information report, ac- When a department renovates their existing quarters, cident reports, arrests, tickets, warrants, feld contacts, fn- moves to a more suitable location, or even builds a new gerprints, mug shots, arrests and booking, protective orders, modern facility, a necessary part of planning is how to get crime data and reports, investigative reports, and ongoing in- data from one location to another. This importantconsidvestigations. The system should have the capability of having eration when moving to a new system or even new lodata entered from a variety of sources within the department cation must be worked out prior to implementing that and retrieved by various sections of the department, whether new system. by patrol, investigations or dispatch. Jeremy Hunt, Network Administrator, Hamilton County (Noblesville, Ind.) Sheriff���s Offce, handles information manRMS Searchable with Imperfect Info agement for his agency. He was in charge when they moved to It is important that the information can be searched using a new updated facility. They were on a small electronic system whatever information is available, even if it is inexact or im- and upgraded to a more integrated and more capable system perfect. For instance, Spillman Technologies simplifes search- from New World Systems. This switch in providers was in ing by allowing searches using a ���wild card��� if the entire name 2006 and while things like cost, reliability, tech support, and is not known or a ���sounds like��� search if the searcher is not other things were important to their decision, most important sure how the name is spelled. was having a solid company with a system that has the capaThis soundex function is important in case the person���s bilities to meet needs in multiple disciplines. name is not spelled correctly by someone making a report, Hunt stated there are basically three options for moving since there may be many variations of a name and these data to a new system. These are: migrating the data forward should be entered as aliases. After an entry is accepted, any to the new system, leaving the data on the legacy system but new information involving that person, vehicle or other entity keeping it active for reference, or creating a way to query both should be able to be added and the entry updated. There must systems at the same time. Hunt noted that ���Migrating the data be the capability to access not just internal data but also exter- forward sounds like a good idea, but there are a number of nal sources such as state criminal history fles, NCIC (National considerations.��� www.lawandordermag.com 31