Shawnee Viewer: Streamlining Police Databases

• NCJ Number: 242241
• Journal: Geography & Public Safety Volume: 3 Issue: 1 Dated: October 2011 Pages: 14-15
• Author(s): Susan C. Smith
• Date Published: October 2011
• Length: 2 pages
• Agencies: NIJ; COPS
• Publication Type: Program/Project Description

Annotation

This article describes a computerized system used by the Shawnee Police Department (Kansas) as an easy and fast way to find information the city has on an address.

Abstract

Called the "Shawnee Viewer," it enables the user to search the database for any records associated with a selected address. The base information includes parcel ownership; land use, value, legal description, ward/precinct, building permits, special assessment, parcel ownership change, special use permits, service request, and business license. The address can also be viewed on a map. The department worked with the geographic information systems (GIS) division to incorporate most of the available police databases into the program. For security purposes, the GIS division created a second tab that only police employees can access. This tab includes information such as warrants, protection orders, no-contact orders, registered offenders, suspects, field interview cards, CAD events, police reports, and house arrests. Rather than blindly responding to a dispatch to a given address, officers can quickly tap in the address and obtain detailed information about that address without having to sign into and search a number of separate databases. 3 figures