Getting a 'TIP,' Making a 'Linc'

• NCJ Number: 211962
• Date Published: 2005
• Length: 5 pages
• Grant Number(s): 96-MU-MU-K011
• Agencies: NIJ-Sponsored
• Publication Type: Technical Assistance; Program/Project Description

Annotation

With assistance from the National Institute of Justice's (NIJ's) National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center (NLECTC) system, two local-level initiatives in information sharing across public safety agencies have been mounted, one in Ohio (iLincs) and one in South Carolina (ITIP).

Abstract

Intelligent Linked Information Networked Collaboration System (iLincs) enables officers from eight Ohio law enforcement agencies to instantly share field intelligence reports, photos, mug shots, and fingerprints. This Web-based tool accesses, captures, and shares images and information through personal computers in patrol cars. Due to the success of iLincs, the Ohio Office of Criminal Justice designated Federal grant funds for six other Ohio law enforcement agencies to participate in a 2-year consortium project that began in 2003. The success of this consortium prompted the Federal Office of Law Enforcement Technology Commercialization (OLETC) to establish a similar information-sharing consortium with law enforcement agencies in West Virginia and Pennsylvania. ITIP (Information Technology Improvement Project) is a secure regional information system that involves the sheriff's departments of Charleston, Berkeley, and Dorchester Counties and the police departments of the municipalities of Charleston, Mount Pleasant, and North Charleston. ITIP integrates the stand-alone databases of these agencies so they can share information electronically across jurisdictional boundaries. Early in their collaboration ITIP member agencies sought technical assistance from NIJ's NLECTC-Southeast, which helped develop architectural concepts and operational requirements for the regional network. The policies and procedures of ITIP are developed and managed through an executive committee composed of representatives of participating agencies.