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Big Lake Police Select iCrimeFighter Mobile Solution for Evidence Gathering and Management
December 2014 by Marc Jacob
When Joel Scharf took over as Chief of Police of the Big Lake (Minn.) Police Department, which protects the 11,000 population city between Minneapolis and St. Cloud, he wanted to provide his twelve officers with a way for them to use an iPad to integrate all of its capabilities into a platform in the field that would let the officers only have to carry one item.
"We began experimenting with a couple iPads and tried a variety of options that were hindered by the lack of an internet connection or the amount of data we were trying to push through the system," remembers Scharf. "Through a demonstration at a trade show, we realized that we could use the iCrimeFighter mobile solution to tie together audio recordings, photos, video and dictation from the field. Best of all, the system is straight-forward and user friendly for a group of officers, all of who were not tech savvy."
Everything is done leveraging the powerful tools within smart phones and tablets, along with the resourceful iCrimeFighter mobile app. As a result, officers can very simply and easily capture video, audio, photographs, dictation and notes to document the case while at the scene.
Once the evidence is captured, the system then organizes the evidence by case, saving hours of routine paperwork, and automatically uploads it to a secure cloud server for later retrieval and processing through a secure portal at
www.iCrimeFighter.com. Information is then removed from the smart phone or tablet. As such, it provides a single solution for all basic evidence gathering requirements, replacing the multiple devices and outmoded software systems being used today. On average, users save 30 minutes per case.
"For our officers, we selected iPad Minis. When they respond to a call, they create a case in the iCrimeFighter app," adds Scharf. "They can capture and import photos and video utilizing the iPad’s camera but leveraging iCrimeFighter’s camera function. They can do the same by utilizing the iPad’s microphone to capture audio statements utilizing the recording feature within iCrimeFighter. This recording feature is also what we are currently using to dictate reports and attach them from the field for transcription.
"Once a case in iCrimeFighter is complete, it’s uploaded to iCrimeFighter’s secure server. This connection adheres to the National Institute of Justice Standards for security and encryption. Data on the iCrimeFighter server can be viewed by the officer who uploaded it. Additionally, those with administrative rights can alter or delete this data and/or view the data of others.
"Our records staff then downloads the data from the server. The entire package is bundled into a ZIP file that makes transmission fast and efficient. Records staff then imports the files into the appropriate locations in the CAD/RMS system or Transcription."
The iCrimeFighter system is available now from the Apple App Store. Simply download to the smart device by registering for access to iCrimeFighter.com. To continue using the service, simply sign up. There is no long-term contract and pricing is only $12 per month per user.
