New IBM Computer System Helps Solve Criminal Cases

SAN DIEGO, Calif., Jan. 17 . . .IBM and law enforcement officials here are
using the latest IBM computer technology to "take a byte out of crime."

They are giving law enforcement agents instant, on-line access to a huge
amount of data on crime cases, arrests, traffic accidents, and stolen
property through ARJIS, San Diego County's Automated Regional Justice
Information System, to help solve crimes and improve officer safety.

IBM is updating ARJIS with the addition of great graphics, multimedia,
digital scanning, document imaging and computerized mapping. In IBM's
updated version of ARJIS, crime investigators will be automatically
notified by computer if a car associated with a crime in one corner of the
county is later spotted by an officer in another area of the county,
helping them identify criminal patterns and alerting them to the movements
of dangerous felons.

And, in the not-too-distant future, law enforcement agents could carry
multimedia laptop computers in their squad cars that will give them
immediate access to a criminal's record and allow them to map out
geographic patterns of crimes. Using wireless technology, the laptops will
be connected back to the ARJIS data base.

IBM will redesign ARJIS in a client-server configuration to make it faster
and easier to use. The project is another example of IBM's network-centric
computing strategy -- IBM's plan to enable people to receive, use and
share applications and services across worldwide voice and data networks.

ARJIS is used by many law enforcement officials in San Diego County,
including county sheriff's deputies, police officers, deputy district
attorneys, county deputy marshals and local FBI agents.

With the new ARJIS, law enforcement agents can use their laptops to track
patterns in crimes, like a series of robberies in a neighborhood. With the
use of computerized mapping software, the officers can pull up a map of a
neighborhood, specify the type of crime, and find out immediately if
there's a pattern, the modern version of placing push pins in a wall map.

By taking their laptop computers into the field, law enforcement officers
can enter information on traffic citations, field interviews and crime
reports. With wireless communications, they will be able to transmit
information on crimes and criminals directly to police officers in other
squad cars and back to the ARJIS database. A powerful IBM RISC
System/6000* computer will match the latest crime information to
historical data to reveal patterns not readily apparent but integral to
solving the crime.

The ability of computers to quickly identify patterns is what makes them
valuable partners in law enforcement, according to Dave Worden, Assistant
Police Chief of the San Diego Police Department. He points out that the
exciting lights-flashing, sirens-screaming police chases portrayed on
television don't really represent the mainstay of police work. To
successfully catch a criminal, investigators must painstakingly sift
through clues and make sense of an overwhelming amount of information --
the perfect job for a computer.

"We rely on ARJIS for up-to-date, critical information," Assistant Chief
Worden said. "ARJIS has long served as a model for counties across the
United States, and now it will be even better. The new system will be
faster, more flexible and easier to use."

IBM will incorporate into the new ARJIS easy-to-use graphics and improved
ability to manage information for case investigations, operations and
administrative support. The improvements, Worden said, will allow police
officers to spend more time on the streets where they're needed most.

The new ARJIS is a joint project between Integrated Systems Solutions
Corporation (ISSC), a wholly owned IBM services subsidiary, and IBM's
Worldwide Government Industry unit, which applies law enforcement
expertise to computer systems used in public safety and justice agencies.
Together, they are delivering the technology and criminal justice
experience necessary to provide the public safety solutions needed by law
enforcement agencies in San Diego and around the world.

ARJIS also represents the coming "network-centric" world of computing where
anyone can be connected -- by computer -- at any place and at any time. By
connecting law enforcement officials with each other, and with the
information they need to solve crimes, they can be more productive on the
job and keep the citizens of San Diego safe.

Nancy Angus, ARJIS administrator, said IBM was chosen for the project
because "IBM offered the right technology that could easily grow with us
and because they were willing to develop and implement the new ARJIS in a
cost-effective manner."

Also a consideration, Angus added, was IBM's willingness to partner with
the San Diego Data Processing Corporation, the ARJIS project manager, and
IBM's expertise in law enforcement.

Technology Details

At the core of the new system will be a four-processor IBM RISC
System/6000* (RS/6000*) Scalable POWERparallel* Systems (SP*) computer.
The IBM RS/6000 SP is running the IBM AIX 4.1* (UNIX) operating system and
has an IBM DB2/6000* relational database management system with 33
gigabytes of data storage.

Object-oriented software such as IBM VisualAge and C++ application
development tools will be used. These software tools will allow the
developer to quickly write working parts of the application. And increased
crime investigation functions will allow users to quickly and intuitively
pose complex queries against the ARJIS database. IBM will also build in a
variety of system management and connectivity features.

The client systems will include PC's, workstations, and the text-based
terminals already in use at many agencies. Many agencies will also have a
PC server at their locations. The new ARJIS will be an open computing
system, allowing the agencies that use ARJIS to link various hardware and
software already in place.
 
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