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Thinkstream Technology to Speed Up Bossier Judicial Process
23 November 2005
Thinkstream, Inc. has launched an integrated criminal justice system in Bossier Parish, Louisiana that provides law enforcement and judicial officials there immediate electronic access to vital criminal justice information and case files from a single network.
The Thinkstream system, along with its E-Justice and Judicial Case Management software, allows officials from the offices of the Bossier Parish Sheriff's Department, District Attorney, Clerk of Court and 26th Judicial District Court to file, share and retrieve case files and other criminal justice documents from a single web-based application.
In other words, as District Attorney Schuyler Marvin said, "This system puts us all on the same page."
"Now we're able to access all of the information on file in a given case in a matter of minutes. This will undoubtedly raise the level of efficiency and effectiveness of our judicial process," District Attorney Schuyler Marvin said.
Thinkstream was awarded a contract last year by the Bossier Parish Police Jury to design and implement an integrated criminal justice system that would give law enforcement, district attorneys and judges the ability to share and access instantly and simultaneously local, state and national criminal databases.
In the initial phase of the project Thinkstream established a hub that linked the Bossier Parish Sheriff's information database with several other north Louisiana law enforcement agencies allowing officers to share and quickly access local information about a suspect. The system also provides access to the State Department of Corrections and FBI databases and national records, such as the National Criminal Information Computer (NCIC).
Thinkstream Inc., a leading software development company specializing in law enforcement applications, has linked agencies in 13 regions of the state, including East Baton Rouge Parish, Orleans Parish, Lake Charles and Lafayette. The company also operates systems in California and Florida.
Bossier Parish Sheriff's Detective Tom Myrick said the department's partnership with Thinkstream has been a boost to the officers in the area of preventing and solving crimes.
Myrick said that by accessing the information through Thinkstream's Desktop Detective software, officers are able to verify information on a suspect more quickly, which in turn, means they're able to solve more crimes and expedite arrests more efficiently.
"We're very pleased so far, this system has been everything they said it would be and then some," Myrick said. "Now our officers can get more information faster and all at one time," he said.
The technology has taken a lot of the burden off of the department's dispatchers as well, Myrick said. Before Thinkstream, officers would have to contact a dispatcher to check names and license tags, and then wait for the dispatcher to check several databases before getting their information. Now officers can enter information, whether it's a license plate number, driver's license number or a name, and get a complete criminal history and a picture of the suspect, in a matter of seconds, he said.
Not only can officers access information on state and local felony and misdemeanor arrest warrants, they can also get sex registrant status, gun ownership, domestic violence background, restraining orders and previous contact with police, he said.
The deployment of the E-Justice and Judicial Case Management, or JCM software expanded the system to include the District Attorney, Clerk of Courts Office and the 26th Judicial District Court.
While police officers can obtain access to a suspects entire criminal history within minutes, Bossier Parish District Attorneys are now able to get reports electronically that were previously on paper, which will cut down on duplication and could speed up court proceedings, Marvin said.
"We can research a case electronically, and then if needed, even file a bill of information the same way -- this system reeks of efficiency," Marvin said.
In addition, because the JCM software can be used from the bench, the office, at home, or on the road judges will be able to access case particulars and gather information necessary for sentencing in minutes, rather than days, officials said.
The E-Justice program integrates directly with existing Case and Records Management Systems (RMS) and links data from each office, such as warrants, court records, and bills of information and arrest reports. The system is set up so that a user's search of a particular name, address, or demographic will yield near instant, comprehensive results. In addition to complete case histories, the JCM software will allow judges secure electronic access to dockets schedules, previous cases and real time court minutes.
Thinkstream CEO Barry Bellue said the system was designed to save time, improve the quality and accessibility of data and reduce the costs of the justice process.
"We deployed a system for Bossier Parish last week that will distinguish itself as the best, most comprehensive, most effective integrated criminal justice network in the state," Bellue said.
"Our software is a technological breakthrough that can help cut the cost of the judicial process, help save civilians and officers lives, and at the same time put the bad guys behind bars," he said.
About Thinkstream:
Thinkstream Inc., a leading software development company based in Baton Rouge, specializes in criminal justice applications that tie agencies together securely giving them the ability to rapidly share critical information across organizational, agency and geographic boundaries. Thinkstream, Inc. has linked over 150 agencies in eight regions of the state of Louisiana, making it the largest civil and criminal information network in the nation. The company also operates systems in Texas, Florida and California.
Thinkstream Inc. is an active member of the Internet Working Group for Justice Integration Committee. Established by the U.S. Department of Justice, committee members contribute their knowledge and experience to promote and implement integrated information systems (IJIS) throughout the country.
For more information contact: Barry L. Bellue, Sr. President and CEO Thinkstream, Inc. Email: bbellue@thinkstream.com Phone: (225) 291-5440 Paul San Soucie Vice President of Customer Relations Thinkstream, Inc. Email: pauls@thinkstream.com Web: http://www.thinkstream.com/ Phone: (225) 291-5440 Fax: (225) 291-9141
Website: http://www.thinkstream.com/
Source: PR Newswire
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