LAW ENFORCEMENT

The City of Albany partnered with D&D Consulting, Ltd to develop their Gang Prevention Database. The database consists of a stand-alone web application for use by law enforcement officials in three local agencies (Albany, Schenectady, and Troy).

The core functionality of the database centers around the ability for authorized law enforcement officials to enter the names of gang members, their locations, body markings, criminal and suspicious activity, associations, and other vital information needed to track and prevent gang activity.

The ability to share access to this information among agencies via a secure website, import/export existing database information, and search of this information is included. Lastly, the ability to respond to the police officer that entered the data via email will be incorporated in the stand-alone product. This rudimentary messaging capability was a key area of interest to law enforcement officials because it is quick, simple, and does not require an investigator to search for contact information when a question arises about an investigation of a gang member.

D&D Consulting envisions product development utilizing a modular approach with the current product as the base package with customized add-ons. The firm believes this method is more viable as agencies have different needs. Since cost is always a factor for even large law enforcement agencies, a modular approach will keep expenses affordable.

Modules
Several modules will be adapted to the needs of the customer.

Mapping

Current plans include the development of a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Mapping Module by MapInfo Corporation, which will parse through all of the location-specific information and GPS coordinates entered by officers into the database. The module will map criminal activity as it occurs. This allows police, state and federal analysts to develop trends, predict future hotspots, and deploy appropriate monetary and human resources to current problem areas. The Mapping Module also allows investigators to visualize the streets, alleys, structures, obstacles, escape routes and other critical considerations using photographic overlays prior to a raid, arrest, or surveillance.

Association Tree

The system will have the capacity to build an association tree from the data entered by police officers about family members and others associated with a particular gang member.

Facial Recognition

A facial recognition module is planned which will allow officers to scan a picture of a suspect to determine whether there is a match in the database or associated with another individual or gang member. Utilizing the association tree, new leads may be developed for an investigation. The module will also auto-generate a "lineup" based on a description given by an informant or witness to a gang-related crime.

Reporting

The current database supports only a search of information and does not allow default or ad-hoc reporting. Agencies may require more than a search capability, thus a reporting module utilizing Oracle and Crystal Reports is planned. The reporting module would allow investigators and analysts to create customized reports, which will display only the information and the manner requested. Reporting will be useful for the statistical needs of state and federal analysts. It will also allow agencies a macro and micro view of trends that exist in data collection. This module may be incorporated in the stand-alone product, but a less expensive package than Oracle may be used for that purpose.

Other Planned Enhancements

Other developments to the product may include a formalized secure messaging center within the database for use by law enforcement, a slang dictionary, and enhancements to the graphical user interface. Many product developments will be driven by feature requests of the users. Some development may be necessary to optimize the computer code for ever-larger information sets.