How the Police Access Data to Obtain Criminal Information Tammy Mills CJ216-01 November 15, 2011 Carter Schoenberg How the Police Access Data to Obtain Criminal Information Law enforcement communicates between every state in the United States. Each state uses different programs which makes up different types of databases, and keeps track of just about everyone who has some sort of identification. A drivers license is the most common form of identification, and everyone in the United States is suppose to obtain a up-to-date drivers license to drive a vehicle legally.
Tammy is going to the state of Florida with her Uncle Bob and her uncle is driving because she does not have a valid driver’s license. Tammy has only an identification card. Bob has a criminal record because he spent five years in San Quentin Penitentiary for auto theft and armed robbery with a firearm. The Trip On August 5th 2006 Bob calls Tammy to see if she is available for a two-week trip to Miami Florida to see the sights. Bob lives in San Diego California and Tammy lives in Moxee Washington. Tammy will fly to San Diego on August 12th 2006 to meet with uncle Bob, and they will start the trip to Miami from San Diego.
The trip is set to start August 13th 2006. Bob and Tammy hope to be back in San Diego California on or around the 27th of August. Today is the day of departure. Bob fills the silver blazer with gas at the local AM/PM convenient store. Bob also decides the blazer needs to be washed. Right next door to the convenient store there is a car wash. Tammy offers to wash the vehicle and notices the license plate number. The license plate number is 448 UZO. The road trip has officially started. Tammy and Bob have to travel through Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida.
Arizona is hot so the windows are down, and the radio is blaring with country music. Tammy and Bob are laughing and having a great time catching up on old memories. In Texas, during the night driving Tammy has questions about Bob’s five-year incarceration. Tammy does not want to bring up bad memories for Bob but she just wants to know what happened to explain why Bob disappeared. Bob explains that he did time for stealing a car and robbed a bank with a firearm to satisfy Tammy’s curiosity. After this conversation Bob pulled over at the next rest stop to obtain some sleep.
Tammy awakens suddenly to the sound of a semi-truck passing by, she is a little shaken so she wakes up Bob, and they start on the road again. As time goes by Tammy and Bob become dazed by the trees and the scenery that they did not notice that they were running low on food and gas. Luckily they had just entered a small town in Louisiana where they can fill up and obtain some food. While Tammy is in the restroom, she overhears a conversation about a bank robbery and a stolen car and how they were never able to find who did it or where the car is. Tammy brushes if off and continues with her day on the road with Bob.
More time flies by and Tammy mentions something about her back hurting from sleeping in the car so Bob offers for them to stay in a hotel for the night. When Bob awakens he notices that Tammy is gone and there is a note left by the door. “Bob I will be back, I have to obtain some female things from the drug store. Love you, Tammy. ” Bob is ready to hit the road and waits for Tammy to return. Tammy returns with some food for the road. As they hit the road Bob seems a little cautious and Tammy notices that he is thinking about something, but she cannot put her finger on it.
Tammy begins to wonder what happened to him in prison. What has him so uptight that he is on guard? Tammy eventually gives up and falls asleep. Bob wakes up Tammy as they are entering the county lines of Mississippi and Bob offers to get some breakfast and an opportunity to stretch from sitting in the car so long. As they pull up and get out of the car Tammy walks around the car and again notices the license plate number 448 UZO. They get done eating and the set off for the road again, they stop at a river to cool off since Mississippi has a high humidity level they decide to stop and look at the scenery.
After they have spent enough time cooling off Bob and Tammy hit the road again for the millionth time. As Bob and Tammy pass the miles by Tammy begins to doze off, she eventually passes out and awakens just as they enter a small town 50 miles from the county lines of Alabama. Bob and Tammy decide to stop at a rest area for the night and obtain some more sleep. When Tammy awakens she discovers that Bob has stopped to obtain food and gas. Tammy finds out that they are halfway through Alabama, and she slept 10 hours. Bob returns to the car, Tammy eats, and they are on the road again close to their destination.
Tammy obtains excitement when she sees the sign for Florida, but what she does not know is that everything is about to turn upside down when they pull up into a Dairy Queen in Miami Florida. The Initial Traffic Stop The whole trip, the speed limit was 70 miles per hour. Bob is used to the speed and forgot the speed limit decreases to 35 miles per hour. When Bob and Tammy entered Miami city limits Tammy noticed a patrol car behind them. The patrol car followed them for about a minute before she saw the red and blue lights come on. Bob noticed the patrol car also and pulled into a Dairy Queen parking lot. Bob’s behavior changed in an instant.
Bob starts to sweat, and he is gripping the steering wheel. The police officer walks up to the driver side window and asks Bob for his proof of insurance, drivers license, and registration. Bob gives the officer everything the officer asked for. Tammy thinks this is just going to be a routine traffic stop. The officer walks back to his vehicle and runs everything through the computer. The officer seems to taking longer than usual and the more time the officer takes Bob seems to be uneasy. Tammy looks behind the patrol car, and sees another patrol car pulling into the parking lot and wonders why another law enforcement officer is assisting.
Tammy sees the two officers talking but she cannot hear what they are saying to each other. The officer finally comes back to the car window to talk to Bob. The officer asks both Tammy and Bob to exit the vehicle. Tammy removes herself from the passenger seat and Bob removes himself from the driver seat. Both of us are asked to come to the rear of blazer. The assisting officer escorts Tammy to her patrol car to ask her some questions and the other officer has a conversation with Bob. The assisting officer asks Tammy if she has any identification and she says “yes” and hands the officer her identification card.
The officer asks Tammy if she would consent to a search. Tammy says “yes” again. After the quick search the assisting officer explains to Tammy that she is not under arrest but she has to be placed in handcuffs for both Tammy’s and the officers’ safety. As Tammy is in handcuffs and leaning on the patrol car, the assisting officer is running her identification card through the Department of Motor Vehicle database. This will to take some time because Tammy is from Washington State and not from Florida. The Miami-Dade Police Department has to contact the Department of Motor Vehicles in Yakima Washington to verify Tammy’s identification.
Communication Methods One communication method between each officer and the Miami-Dade Police Department is the walkie-talkie. Officers are linked through a radio frequency to the police department’s dispatcher. The second method is the use of the laptop computer, but Tammy and Bob are not Florida residences. The computer’s database in the patrol car may be limited to specific types of information. If the computer has a malfunction the best way to confirm information is through the local dispatcher. The third method of communication between the officers and the Miami-Dade Police Department is the Automated Fingerprinting System. The police officer is using Cross Match Technologies’ MV-5 Mobile Wireless Capture Device” (Foster, 2005, P. 128). When Bobs fingerprint is scanned his criminal history comes to light. Tammy’s fingerprint is also scanned and the results show no criminal history. The fingerprint also confirmed Tammy’s identification. Bob is arrested because of some information on the vehicle from the Department of Motor Vehicle shows that the car was stolen. Tammy is arrested for the suspicion of auto theft. Once at the Miami-Dade police station Tammy and Bob are put into different rooms.
The arresting officer wants to look into Bob’s criminal past a little deeper. Collecting and Analyzing the Information from California to Florida Knowing that Bob is from California, the officer taps into the National Law Enforcement Telecommunication System (NLETS). According to (Dempsey, n. d. P. 101) this system is “linked to all the states and many federal agencies together for the exchange of criminal justice information. ” The officer can obtain information on the vehicle, Bob’s driver’s license, criminal record, prison information, and parole information.
Even though the officer has enough information needed to arrest Bob. The officer wants to cross reference the information with other systems to make sure the information is correct. The second system the officer taps into is the Department of Motor Vehicle (DMV) in California. The DMV record shows that the silver blazer license plate 448 UZO is stolen. The record shows the vehicle was reported stolen on August 12th 2006 at 3:00 a. m. The officer calls the San Diego Police Department and talks to the officer who wrote the auto theft report. The officer is told that the blazer is in the impound yard in Miami Florida.
The officer in San Diego updates the report to reflect that the vehicle is found and inquires the officer in Miami about information on a 9mm handgun. The officer in Miami does not know anything about a firearm but remembers that the blazer was never searched. The 9mm handgun and the blazer are registered to a Linda Andersen. The California police officer informs the officer in Miami that the blazer was involved in a robbery with a firearm and will fax the report right away and that Bob is on parole. The third system that the officer taps into is the National Crime Information System (NCIC).
According to (The FBI Federal Bureau Investigation, n. d. P. 1) “The NCIC database has 19 files” to choose from. The two files of interest are the vehicle file and the gun file. When the fax comes in from California, the officer cross references the 9mm handgun and the blazer. The information from the NCIC also shows that the 9mm handgun and blazer are both registered to Linda Andersen. The gun file shows where she bought the firearm and that she has no criminal record. With everything cross referenced and copies of all information collected, it is time to talk to Bob.
Uncle Bob Confesses The police officer walks into the room to talk to Bob. All the information that was collected from the NCIC, FBI, and the San Diego Police Department is true. Bob confirms stealing the blazer and the handgun. Bob also admits to the robbery with a firearm and the parole violation. Bob tells the police officer that the 9mm handgun is in a little compartment on the driver side in the back of the blazer. Bob also ensures the officers that Tammy was in no way involved nor had knowledge of the stolen car or the robbery.
Bob explains that he just wanted Tammy to take the trip with him to get to know her. The police officer explains to Bob the seriousness of involving Tammy in this trip and has Bob write down his confession. The officer also explains to Bob that California police is asking for extradition back to California on the parole violation. The officer leaves the room to go talk to Tammy. Officer explanation to Tammy and Bob’s Charges Tammy has no idea why Bob is arrested. The officer explains that the car was stolen and that Bob is linked to a robbery with a firearm that occurred August 12th 2006 at 3:00 a. . Tammy cannot believe what she is hearing. Tammy tells the officer that her flight on this day did not arrive until 6:00 p. m. Tammy thought that Bob was done living a criminal life. The officer believes that Tammy did not have anything to do with the crimes committed. The officer explains to Tammy that she is free to leave but Bob has to stay in custody and wait for extradition back to California. The officer also explains to Tammy that Bob will be charged with theft of a vehicle, a parole violation, and a robbery with a firearm by the state of California.
Bobs extradition is set for August 23rd 2006. Bob is back in California by August 30th 2006 and his trial is set for September 10th 2006. Meanwhile, Tammy has flown home without incident. Day of Trial The day of the trial has come. The judge reads the charges of grand theft, violating parole, and robbery with a firearm. Bob pleads guilty to all charges and is sentenced to 25 years back in the San Quentin Penitentiary. Bob receives five years for grand theft, 10 years to finish his last conviction term, and 10 years for the robbery with a firearm.
Bob and Tammy never talk again because Tammy feels that she cannot trust her uncle any more. Bob writes a letter to Tammy to apologize, but Tammy burned it. Conclusion In conclusion, most technologies overlap. With the use of index cards, computers cross reference information so law enforcement saves time by not having to search for files individually. The Miami-Dade Police Department cross referenced a large amount of information just to make sure the information provided to them by the state of California was accurate and correct.
Without the use of different agencies being able to communicate with each other, criminals would have an easier time hiding from law enforcement. To this day Uncle Bob is still in prison and Tammy is continuing her education. References Dempsey, J. X. (n. d. ). Overview of Current Criminal Justice Information Systems. Retrieved from http://www. cdt. org Foster, R. E. (2005). Police technology (1st ed. ). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/ Prentice Hall. The FBI Federal Bureau Investigation. (n. d. ). Retrieved from http://www. fbi. gov/about-us/cjis/ncic
