NCJ Number
45987
Date Published
1977
Length
76 pages
Annotation
THE TIDEWATER ELECTRONIC NETWORK FOR POLICE INFORMATION (TENPIN) HAS TREMENDOUSLY IMPROVED LAW ENFORCEMENT IN NORFOLK, VIRGINIA, AND SURROUNDING COMMUNITIES BY POOLING OFFENDER INFORMATION FOR STORAGE AND RETRIEVAL.
Abstract
TENPIN IS DIFFERENT FROM OTHER POLICE INFORMATION SYSTEMS IN SEVERAL WAYS: IT IS A GROUP OF MUNICIPALITIES, TERMINAL AND CULMINATING IN A COMPUTERIZED BOOKKEEPING OFFICE OF THE FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION; AND IT ALSO INVOLVES PARTICIPATION BY TWO AREA MILITARY INSTALLATIONS. TENPIN USES AN IBM SYSTEM/370 MODEL 145 WITH 768,000 BYTES OF CORE MEMORY AND RUNS UNDER THE DISK OPERATING SYSTEM/VIRTUAL STORAGE. THE SYSTEM PROVIDES ROUND-THE-CLOCK SERVICES. INFORMATION SUCH AS A LICENSE NUMBER, NAME, ADDRESS, ARTICLE DESCRIPTION, OR ALIAS MAY BE ENTERED IN THE SYSTEM FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION. TENPIN CAN SUPPLY INFORMATION ON AN INDIVIDUAL'S OUTSTANDING WARRANTS, PROBATION/PAROLE STATUS, ALIASES, PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION, AND DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS. BASICALLY, THE SYSTEM CONSISTS OF SIX FILES: A WARRANT FILE CONTAINING 30,000 TO 40,000 RECORDS; AN INFORMATION FILE CONTAINING RECORDS FOR INDIVIDUALS CATEGORIZED AS ARMED, DANGEROUS, SUSPECT, SUICIDAL, FURLOUGHED PRISONER, OR THOSE WITH PAST CRIMINAL HISTORY; AN ALIAS FILE CONTAINING STREET NAMES FOR INDIVIDUALS ENTERED IN OTHER FILES; A PAROLE AND PROBATION FILE; A LICENSES CHECK FILE; AN ELECTRONIC STOLEN ARTICLE CONTROL FILE WHICH CONTAINS LISTS OF ARTICLES STOLEN, ITEMS PAWNED OR SOLD TO JUNK YARDS, AND CARS IMPOUNDED; A FINGERPRINT ACCESS AND SEARCHING FILE; AND THE TOTAL RECALL ADULT CRIMINAL ELEMENT RECORDS (TRACER) SUBSYSTEM WHICH TRACKS AN OFFENDER FROM POINT OF ENTRY INTO THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM TO EXIT POINT AND IS CAPABLE OF PREPARING MANY COURT DOCUMENTS PREVIOUSLY PRODUCED MANUALLY. IMPLEMENTATION OF TRACER PHASE II HAS RESULTED IN SYSTEM CAPABILITY TO PRODUCE ADDITIONAL DOCKET, CASELOAD, STATISTICAL, MONTHLY, ANNUAL, AND DAILY REPORTS AS WELL AS LISTINGS OF OFFENDERS AND PAROLEES/PROBATIONERS BY CATEGORIES. A COMPUTER AIDED DISPATCHING MANAGEMENT ADMINISTRATIVE SYSTEM HAS ALSO BEEN ADDED. TRAFFIC SUMMONS ANALYSES AND BROADCAST, OFFENSE, AND PERSONNEL FILES ARE SOME OF THE SYSTEMS OFFLINE APPLICATIONS. SAMPLE DISPLAYS AND PRINTOUTS ILLUSTRATING THE SYSTEM'S MANY FUNCTIONS ARE REPRODUCED.