LAW ENFORCEMENT TABBED SECTION

For instance, under the [Law Enforcement] tab (see below) you see the following icons: Calls for Service,  Offenses, Properties, Arrests, Tickets, Accidents, Warrants, Maintenance, UCR Printout, and Lineup.

If you are a dispatcher and are afforded a workstation, your area of interest would, of course be “Calls for Service.”  This screen enables you to record all information concerning a call, and should that call turn into an official offense, the information entered in this area can be automatically transferred by the person entering offenses.  They can simply choose to enter offense data “from the call for service,” and all relevant data will populate the offense screen.

If you serve in the position of recording Offenses, then you may choose this icon in the top center of the screen.  You may enter all new data (if this offense was not part of a Call for Service), or you may choose to connect this offense to a call that originated in the Calls for Service without having to re-enter the demographics and other information collected at that time in the record.

Often Calls for Service, Offenses, or Arrests involve “Properties” which consists of any item involved in the commission of a crime.  After the violation record has been entered, the item(s) should be entered, especially if stolen.  Then, later, you may choose this icon to search and view as needed.  For instance, if a person is arrested and items are confiscated that appear to be stolen, you may use this Properties section to see if there are any reports to the police department of these items.

This section allows you to search and sort  properties by varying methods.  It also allows you to view the checkmarks near the bottom of the screen which indicates whether it is stolen, seized, and/or taken as evidence.

Following is a live example of how some departments use this function.  In this example, we have searched for items stolen between certain dates.

In this example, you will notice the manufacturer and serial number of a handgun reported stolen on April 1, 2001.  The record also reflects the owner, the value, and the case number, so that you will be able to quickly contact the owner should an unrelated investigation produce this item.