COPLINK Launches Interoperability Certification Program to Help Law Enforcement Agencies Leverage Information Technology Investments

03/24/04
Tucson, AZ

Knowledge Computing Corporation today announced the COPLINK® interoperability certification program, a validation system for identifying technologies that are compatible with its critically-acclaimed crime fighting solution. The initiative will help current and prospective clients extend the life of legacy technology investments, better evaluate the life-cycle of upgrades or enhanced systems, and realize cost and time savings on IT deployments.

"Interoperability is a top priority among local, state and federal law enforcement agencies, yet many technology providers have been slow to respond out of fear that it will adversely affect profit margins," said Bob Griffin, CEO of Knowledge Computing Corporation. "We believe providers that stay focused on developing client-driven solutions, and work cooperatively with other vendors to meet interoperability demands will have a clearly competitive advantage in the marketplace."

Intergraph Public Safety and GEO911, Inc., two records management solution providers in the public safety sector, are the first to become officially COPLINK CERTIFIED. Additional certified providers will be announced in the coming weeks.

"Intergraph is very proud that by seamlessly linking our RMS system with COPLINK, we are helping six law enforcement agencies and seven fire departments in Polk County, Iowa, including the Des Moines Police Department better fight crime and improve community safety," said Intergraph Public Safety President Roger Coupland. "COPLINK interoperability certification demonstrates our commitment to helping public safety clients effectively meet their evolving needs."

"GEO911 is pleased to be among the first RMS solution providers to be COPLINK CERTIFIED for our work in the Marana, Arizona deployment," said Scott Meehan, President and CEO of GEO911, Inc. "Taking an early leadership role in developing interoperable solutions adds value to our current clients and is an attractive differentiator in growing our business."

COPLINK provides unparalleled analysis and decision support for rapidly identifying criminal suspects, relationships and patterns that can help solve and prevent crime. It works by allowing vast quantities of structured and seemingly unrelated data, currently housed in various incompatible databases and record management systems (RMS), to be organized under a single, highly secure intranet-based platform. One search using known facts from an ongoing criminal investigation can produce qualified leads in minutes - a process that prior to COPLINK, often took days or weeks. Through sophisticated analytics, COPLINK builds 'institutional memory', reduces knowledge gaps, and prevents criminals from falling through the cracks.

COPLINK is not designed to replace RMS systems, but to extend their capabilities, protect the clients' technology investment, and ensure that data integrity remains intact by always relying on the existing RMS source for updated information. With COPLINK, law enforcement agencies can tailor their information sharing and crime analysis initiatives using existing components from technologies they already use. This allows participating agencies to create a seamlessly integrated solution without incurring the disproportionately high cost of untested, custom solutions.

COPLINK is also fully scaleable. Over time, additional agencies and approved users can join existing COPLINK installations or contribute additional RMS data sources as funding becomes available, allowing for the creation of robust regional information-sharing networks.

COPLINK certification does not constitute an endorsement of specific vendors, providers or technologies and there is no cost to participate in the program. It is designed to identify providers who understand the importance of interoperability and intend to take a leadership role in meeting this critical public safety need at the local, state and federal level. The first phase of this initiative will address RMS solution providers. Future phases may include additional technologies that complement COPLINK deployments.

RMS solution providers are qualified as COPLINK CERTIFIED after having successfully completed a COPLINK deployment with a shared client. RMS solution providers can also be pre-certified as COPLINK COMPLIANT. For additional information on the COPLINK interoperability certification process and requirements, please direct inquiries to bfund@knowledgecc.com.

COPLINK is deployed in over 100 jurisdictions nationwide from Boston to San Diego to support police officers in fighting crime and improving community safety. The solution is also available in the United Kingdom through Orbitron Technologies.

About Knowledge Computing Corporation
Knowledge Computing Corporation provides technology-based crime fighting solutions to leading-edge law enforcement agencies nationwide. Its critically acclaimed product, COPLINK®, in use since 1998, is based on knowledge management technology first prototyped by top-ranked researchers in the Artificial Intelligence Lab at the University of Arizona in Tucson through a grant by the National Institute of Justice. The technologies developed at Knowledge Computing Corporation have been tested and proven by law enforcement agencies around the country. For more information: www.knowledgecc.com or www.coplink.net.