OUACHITA PARISH, La., Dec. 21, 2005 -- The bad guys have been having a harder time getting away with crimes in Ouachita Parish lately thanks to software that allows law enforcement officers in the field there to access instantly and simultaneously local, state and national databases from laptop computers inside their patrol cars.

"With a single check of a name, we can access up to 70 agencies to see if there's a warrant for an arrest or if a person has a criminal background," Ouachita Sheriff's Capt. Bobby Baker said. "This is definitely making it harder for the criminal to hide and it's helping us keep them off the streets," he said.

The Department teamed up with Thinkstream, Inc. this summer to outfit 80 patrol cars with laptops that have access to a secure statewide criminal justice network that includes over 350 databases at the state, local and federal levels. The Ouachita Parish Sheriff's Office serves as a regional hub linking its database with Monroe and other northeastern sheriffs' and police departments so their officers in the field can share and access local information such as outstanding arrest warrants and stolen property records. The system also allows access to FBI databases and national records, such as the National Criminal Information Computer (NCIC) and the motor vehicle registry.

Thinkstream, Inc., a leading software development company specializing in law enforcement applications, has linked agencies in 13 regions of the state, including East Baton Rouge Parish, Orleans Parish, Bossier Parish, Lake Charles and Lafayette. The company also operates systems in California and Florida.

Ouachita Parish Sheriff Richard Fewell said he embraced the Thinkstream technology because he realized it could be the answer to the growing issue among law enforcement agencies of how to share and access critical information about a suspect or criminal.

"It's been in the back of my mind for a long time that there was a major problem of how to share information with other agencies and it got to the point where we had to do something about it so we moved on it," Fewell said. "The Thinkstream system has been fantastic -- you can't say we're not first with this kind of technology at this point," he said.

The department's partnership with Thinkstream has been a boost to the officers in the area of preventing and solving crimes, he said. "The successes are due to the speed at which we can get information now," Fewell said. "This is a very effective tool that allows us a better chance to get the criminal off the street," he said.

Capt. Baker, who heads the Communications Division for the department, agreed and pointed to several arrests as examples that the system is working.

"Because of the ease of ability and accessibility that Thinkstream has given us, we're able to communicate with each other's system and verify information quickly, so more arrests can be made," Baker said.

For example, Baker said just weeks after the system was in place, license and background checks resulted in several felony-related arrests. During a routine call to check out some property that had been damaged in a local subdivision, a deputy passed a vehicle that struck him as suspicious.

"Something in his gut told him to run the license tag and the information that came back from the check indicated he was wanted for vehicular homicide in another state," Baker said. "The resulting arrest might not have taken place without Thinkstream," he said.

Baker said, in another case, while responding to a family disturbance in West Monroe, deputies ran a name check on one of the men involved in the incident, and learned that he was wanted for armed robbery in Mississippi.

The system has also taken a lot of the burden off of the department's dispatchers, he said. Before Thinkstream, officers would have to radio a dispatcher to check license tags and Ids, and then wait for the dispatcher to check several databases before getting their information. Now officers can enter a license plate number and get a name, criminal history and a picture of the suspect, in a matter of 10 to 15 seconds, Baker said.

Not only can officers access information on state and local felony and misdemeanor arrest warrants, they can also get sex registrant status, gun ownership, domestic violence background, restraining orders and previous contact with police, he said.

"There have been cases where certain individuals might have slipped through our fingers because we couldn't get information on them as fast. This is a super investigative tool," Baker said. "It's quick and easy to use -- it's one of the best tools that has come along in years," he said.

Baker said he used the Thinkstream technology to conduct criminal background checks on 3,000 Hurricane Katrina evacuees being housed at the Red Cross shelter in Monroe. Over 30 percent had some type of criminal record, ranging from misdemeanors to felonies.

Several of the evacuees were identified as sex offenders and were removed from the shelter following the discovery, Baker said. Those that had outstanding arrest warrants were turned over to the Monroe Police Department since the shelter was in their jurisdiction, he said.

"Our concern was to provide a safe environment for these people, especially the children," he said.

Linking officers in the field with the same records available to dispatchers and officers at stations helps keep police safe because it allows them to check criminal histories prior to leaving their cars, he said.

For example, Baker said if an officer runs a license plate on a suspicious vehicle it might come back with information that the vehicle was stolen and the person is a wanted felon. Or the information could indicate that during a prior arrest, the suspect had used a weapon.

"This kind of thing was unheard of in the past -- this is all due to Thinkstream's technology," Baker said. "This is officer safety-minded software," he said.

That's exactly why the software was developed in the first place, Thinkstream's president Barry Bellue said.

"Now more than ever police officers are making the ultimate sacrifice to protect us. I saw a need for a tool they could depend on for greater security and success in the field," Bellue said.

"Our software is a technological breakthrough that can help save civilians and officers lives, and at the same time put the bad guys behind bars," Bellue said.

Baker said the Thinkstream technology also aids in arrests of less serious crimes other than felonies because it allows access to misdemeanors outside the Sheriff's department's jurisdiction. Access to this information have helped officers track down fugitives with outstanding warrants or missing suspects who may have otherwise escaped, Baker said.

"What we've really been noticing lately is the increase in other agencies inquiring about warrants. This is so valuable to be able to help each other track down criminals," Baker said.

Capt. Bobby Baker
Ouachita Parish Sheriff's Department
Phone: (318) 329-1299

Barry L. Bellue, Sr.
President and CEO
Thinkstream, Inc.
Email: bbellue@thinkstream.com
Phone: (225) 291-5440