Powerful Law Enforcement Database Moves to the Cloud
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The move by IBM will make Coplink more accessible for smaller agencies that may have constrained budgets and resources.
A software system that provides law enforcement agencies with access to over 1 billion documents, as well as analytics tools that can reference information ranging from mugshots to license plate numbers, is moving to the cloud, IBM announced on Monday.
Known as Coplink, the powerful database application has been around for nearly two decades and is used by thousands of law enforcement agencies across North America. But, until now, getting it up and running required significant information technology investments. With the new cloud version, IBM aims to make the system a more viable option for smaller agencies that might be tightly staffed and working with limited budgets.
According to one IBM executive, the decision to roll out the cloud-based platform also reflects a growing desire among police agencies to cut down on the cost and work involved in maintaining elaborate in-house IT systems. These costs and responsibilities include not only purchasing servers and building data centers, but also fending off cyber-threats and complying with stringent federal requirements for handling criminal justice information.
“For a long time, law enforcement would not, in any way, even consider moving things into an area that would not be fully under their control because of the sensitivity and confidentiality of the data,” Stephen Russo, director of public safety, law enforcement and emergency management solutions for IBM, said in an interview.
“But given budgets being constantly slashed, and threats expanding in many ways, there is now a desire to look for a new model,” he added.
To use the cloud version of Coplink, agencies will pay a subscription price but will not need to buy any big-dollar IT equipment, according to Russo. Officers and other law enforcement officials will be able to access the information and tools the software provides on both computers and mobile devices. Responsibility for keeping the information secure, and ensuring that it is managed in a way that adheres to federal guidelines, falls on IBM.
Previously, using Coplink required at least one agency in a region, a county sheriff’s office for instance, to build a data center, which other local police agencies could then make agreements to use.
In addition to providing access to vast amounts of documents, criminal records, addresses and motor vehicle information, Coplink also provides an array of analytic capabilities.
For instance, the software enables agencies to look for geographic patterns in crime, and can assist with determining whether multiple aliases might belong to the same person.
Coplink also features video tools, including facial recognition technology that can match surveillance images with photos in mugshot databases, and functions that allow footage to be searched based on traits such as clothing color.
As technology like Coplink becomes more widely used, Jay Stanley, a senior policy analyst for the American Civil Liberties Union, said that it is important to ensure that criminal justice databases are accurate, and consist only of legitimate law enforcement records.
He also stressed that checks and balances should be put in place to make sure the information is not abused by police agencies. “No one objects to the police keeping records of actual criminal activities,” he said. “But these things should not become dragnet databases.”
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