COPLINK To Be Deployed to Fight Crime and Improve Community Safety Across Hennepin County, Minnesota and Minneapolis Region

09/09/04
Tucson, AZ /Hennepin County, MN

Two of the biggest barriers to solving crimes - timely information sharing and tactical lead generation - will be virtually eliminated in Hennepin County, Minnesota and the Minneapolis region. Knowledge Computing Corporation today announced that its critically acclaimed crime fighting solution COPLINK® will be used to support a major crime fighting initiative for Hennepin County which is home to over one million residents in Minneapolis and 45 surrounding cities.

"Hennepin County's deployment provides COPLINK with a highly visible, strategic presence in the northern United States as we continue executing on our goal to build the first nationwide crime-fighting network," said Bob Griffin, CEO of Knowledge Computing Corporation. "Unlike other approaches, the unique architecture of COPLINK respects the autonomy and preferences of local and state government while providing a highly scaleable solution with the proper tactical toolset to meet regional and national crime fighting objectives."

"Criminals in Hennepin County are becoming increasingly sophisticated, but COPLINK's powerful lead generation, analytic and visualization software clearly puts the advantage in our court when it comes to identifying and apprehending them," said Hennepin County Sheriff Patrick D. McGowan. "COPLINK is a trusted, secure and proven solution that will help us solve crimes that might otherwise remain unsolved and enhance the safety of our community."

COPLINK provides unparalleled analysis and decision support for rapidly identifying criminal suspects, relationships and patterns that can help solve and prevent crime. The solution is also promising for use in homeland security applications to thwart terrorism.

COPLINK works by allowing vast quantities of structured and seemingly unrelated data, currently housed in various incompatible databases and record management systems (RMS), to be securely organized, consolidated and rapidly analyzed over a highly secure intranet-based platform. One search using known or partial facts from an ongoing investigation can produce qualified leads in seconds - a process that prior to COPLINK wasn't possible or often took days or weeks. Through sophisticated analytics, COPLINK builds 'institutional memory,' reduces knowledge gaps, and prevents criminals from falling through the cracks.

The two largest law enforcement agencies within Hennepin County will initially have access to the system. Access to data will be restricted based on individual user security clearance levels, and the sensitivity of the data itself. COPLINK also creates a detailed audit trail for every search conducted. This serves two purposes. Officers seeking to question or obtain a warrant on suspects identified through COPLINK are able to clearly demonstrate with hard facts how that person fits the criminal profile and how others were excluded. Each participating agency's Systems Administrator is also able to monitor use for audit purposes to identify any abuse that would result in suspension of a user's access privileges under the privacy and use protocols established by Hennepin County in accordance with local, state and federal laws.

The Hennepin County project will provide connectivity between six law enforcement databases including the Sheriff's Office record management system, the Sheriff's Office Adult Detention Division, mugshots and the City of Minneapolis Police Department criminal database. It will be used for law enforcement purposes only. The first phase of the project was funded through a local bond initiative earmarked for data integration and communications. Future phases will include additional public data sources currently available to law enforcement and access by additional city police agencies in the county.

When COPLINK is used to create regional, multi-state or interagency networks, each participating agency has real-time control over what data is shared, with whom and when. In addition, data continues to reside and be updated at its existing source. These safeguards help protect the integrity of the data and sensitive information while allowing for the creation of ad hoc regional task forces to address specific criminal activity.

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 was recently recognized by the International Association of Chiefs of Police as a finalist for the prestigious Webber Seavey Award for quality in law enforcement for the Tucson, Arizona deployment. The Center for Digital Government also recognized COPLINK as one of the best of breed and most innovative IT projects undertaken by cities in the nation.

Designed by current and former law enforcement officials, COPLINK is tactically sophisticated yet user-friendly. Even the most non-technical law enforcement officials can master it in less than a day. The solution is 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.