Blunt Announces Cooperative
Partnership, New Technology to Improve Safety
JEFFERSON CITY, December 19, 2007—Gov. Matt Blunt
today announced a cooperative law enforcement partnership to purchase
a new software tool that will improve information sharing in investigating
crimes to help prevent criminals from falling through the cracks.
In a unique partnership, state and local law enforcement have joined
forces to pool federal dollars to support the software purchase.
“Government has a fundamental duty to keep our streets, our
schools, and our neighborhoods safe, so that Missourians can reach
their full potential,” Blunt said. “We have already seen
the tremendous benefits of information sharing through the Missouri
Information Analysis Center, and I commend local law enforcement for
their vision and foresight to bring this software to Missouri . By
working together they will be able to provide a tremendous asset to
build on MIAC's success and strengthen and protect our communities.”
“I know from my own experience in law enforcement
that access to accurate and timely information and intelligence will
help save lives,” said Mark James, Director of the Department
of Public Safety. “This data sharing program will give law enforcement
the advantage against criminals by identifying relationships, associations
and patterns that will help us solve more crimes and increase public
safety across Missouri by getting offenders off the street more quickly.”
The state has signed a contract estimated at $1.1 million
with Knowledge Computing Corporation for their COPLINK software, which
allows local, state and federal law enforcement agencies to collect,
consolidate and share information across all boundaries.
Law enforcement officials will be able to sift through
a database of various types of police records, from traffic stops
to murder investigations, to deliver a list of leads in just seconds.
The same kind of process now takes hours or even days of a detective's
time, if it is possible at all.
Missouri’s version, MoDex will be accessible
to authorized law enforcement officers, investigators, detectives,
highway patrol troopers, and crime analysts throughout the state and
will be used for law enforcement purposes only beginning this summer.
COPLINK databases contain information provided by police that is not
generally released to the public, such as gang-intelligence databases
and officers' field notes.
“Another benefit of the program is its power
to generate new investigative leads in rapes, murders, burglaries,
robberies and other crimes,” said Mick Covington, Executive
Director of the Missouri Sheriff’s Association. “Vague
physical descriptions and bits of information given by crime victims
or witnesses, such as tattoos, car colors, and nicknames, take on
new life when they are researched in a regional database.”
“Across our state, policing agencies face tough
challenges when trying to share information. This software will enable
law enforcement to compile data in one central repository and give
every police officer access to that critical information,” said
Sheldon Lineback, Executive Director of the Missouri Police Chiefs
Association.
Many law enforcement agencies have worked together
to bring this initiative to Missouri including, the Missouri Department
of Public Safety, Missouri State Highway Patrol, Missouri Police Chiefs
Association, Missouri Sheriff’s Association, Cole County Sheriff’s
Office, and the Missouri Department of Corrections.
The new technology will also allow MIAC and other agencies
to cross-reference or query law enforcement records systems, significantly
improving operations and results. Gov. Blunt opened MIAC in December
2005 to provide a public safety partnership consisting of local, state
and federal agencies, as well as the public sector and private partners.
It collects, evaluates, analyzes, and disseminates information to
agencies tasked with Homeland Security responsibilities in a timely,
secure manner. MIAC collects incident reports of suspicious activities
to be evaluated and analyzed in an effort to identify potential trends
or patterns of terrorist or criminal operations within the state.
MIAC also facilitates two-way communication between federal, state
and local law enforcement communities within the region.