RACKETS: Case Tracking and Mapping System

• NCJ Number: 182918
• Author(s): Colin Reilly; Victor Goldsmith
• Date Published: 1999
• Length: 172 pages
• Grant Number(s): 98-LB-VX-0004
• Agencies: NIJ-Sponsored
• Publication Type: Program/Project Description

Annotation

This manual provides an overview of Rackets, a case tracking and mapping application developed for the U.S. Attorney's Office of the Southern District of New York (SDNY).

Abstract

The impetus for Rackets developed out of a desire by the SDNY to move away from the traditionally episodic way of handling cases to a comprehensive and strategic method. Rackets was initially designed to collect information on the cases, defendants, investigations, wiretaps, and warrants for the violent gangs, narcotics, organized crime, and general crimes units. The system was developed to collect information either not handled or not handled in sufficient detail by the existing case management system (PROMIS at the time of development). The current case management system, LIONS, is charged with handling the administrative details of cases and as such does not attempt to collect the detailed information that exists in the charging instruments or through proffers or cooperation agreements. Information is collected on a case-by-case basis, filed, and used further if an office-wide request is made. Rackets attempts to fill this information void by using the information for future investigations and cases. Further, all geographic information is entered and mapped, thereby linking the data to discrete locations. Then the data can be searched by traditional methods or by spatial queries. An appended data dictionary details every table and field included in the database. Other information needed for using the database is also appended.