The Mesa Police Department’s use of an in-field RMS helped reduce the city’s crime rate by 10% during its first year. (Photo courtesy Intergraph Public Safety)

By Steve Marz
The Mesa (Ariz.) Police Department implemented a new records management system with the goals of giving field officers access to current and reliable law enforcement records; the ability to quickly enter accurate data from the field; facilitate information sharing with local, state and federal agencies; and measurably reduce crime by targeting high-risk areas and times and improve resource allocation.

An early user of Intergraph’s CAD system (I/CAD), the department decided to also implement the company’s law enforcement RMS software, I/LEADS, in 2005. The system allows agencies to create, query and manage law enforcement records, and provides reports used to deliver National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) and Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) documents to state governments.

Intergraph installed and configured the services and provided users with intensive instruction. The training resulted in the availability of in-house trainers, who continue to teach newcomers how to use the system.

Mesa PD subsequently expanded the system for field use. Using an interface from Citrix and cell phone service, the department’s 450 field officers now have field access to live and accurate data, as well as on-the-scene reporting capabilities. Officers can perform name searches and retrieve vehicle data and other critical information. The solution also allows the department’s 24 civilian crime-scene technicians to capture accurate data and improves interagency data sharing through its COPLINK integration.

Results:Police Technical Services Administrator Shirl Butler describes an incident when the system worked well: “A perpetrator entered a supermarket, robbed and shot a store clerk and fled. Fortunately, an officer who had participated in the training program was called to the scene. He took a small piece of information on the vehicle type, keyed it into the system and immediately found an address. Within a couple of hours, the perpetrator showed up at that address and was arrested.”

Mesa has also experienced a reduction in violent crime since the system was deployed in the field. There was more than a 10% reduction in the system’s first year and 9.8% in its second. Plans are currently underway to integrate the RMS system with Mesa’s Laboratory Information Management System, which handles all crime lab data. This integration will simplify workflow for entering and accessing such information as mug shots. Additional plans include expanded use of I/LEADS for the jail management.

About the Author
Steven Marz is vice president of Intergraph Public Safety. For more information, visit www.intergraph.com.

Originally published in Public Safety Communications, 76(2):62-63, February 2010.