Colorado State Patrol Awards $3.9 Million Contract for Printrak Emergency Dispatch/Records Management Systems.

ANAHEIM, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 3, 1999--The Colorado State Patrol (CSP) has awarded a $3.9 million contract to Printrak International Inc. (Nasdaq:AFIS), the leading provider of digital justice solutions, for integrated computer aided dispatch (CAD) and records management systems (RMS).

This award helps to consolidate more than 20 emergency response centers into five regional communication centers strategically located to serve statewide needs.

The distributed networking capability offered by Printrak allows the CSP to gain advanced data analysis capabilities and share its CAD infrastructure with local law enforcement agencies. With agencies entering information once and sharing data, this high-tech automated process leads to more effective procedures and efficient workflow for all agencies dispatched by the CSP.

"By making this available to many law enforcement agencies, we increase our effectiveness," said Colonel Lonnie J. Westphal, chief of the Colorado State Patrol. "Our long-term goal is to link several local law enforcement agencies with a single database that will allow them to share information with another officer 300 miles away."

With headquarters near Denver, the CSP is responsible for patrolling interstate and other major highways encompassing 103,570 square miles. By replacing an aging internally-developed system, the CSP reduces the number of communication centers and brings the CSP to a new level of process automation.

The CSP will also equip its patrol cars with mobile computers; Printrak will provide the CAD/RMS interface that enables roadside queries to state and national databases about driver identification, auto license plates, warrants and other information. In the past, this information processing was very time consuming. With mobile computers, field officers can obtain information instantly and act accordingly if they detain a known criminal. Accident and incident reports may be completed in the field and uploaded to the RMS, further reducing paperwork processing.

Chief Westphal said, "The interface between mobile data computers in the patrol cars, the RMS and the CAD system lays the foundation for the CSP to migrate to a paperless patrol car. Using a laptop computer and a wireless modem, troopers can communicate directly with the state's Crime Information Center and at the same time, build the database for the RMS."

With a Tandem fault-tolerant computer in the Denver area as the central server for call taking and radio message functions, the five communication centers will be equipped with industry standard Intel/Windows NT platforms with Printrak software providing map coordinate and other screen displays to drive the workflow process. Printrak's Geofile software enables the CSP to create and maintain highway information, municipal boundaries and landmarks for use within the CAD system for faster response times and greater officer safety.

Printrak's Law Records Management System (LRMS) will be integrated with the CAD system to capture dispatch information without re-keying incident reports. The LRMS will be used to aggregate subsequent event data on each incident, including booking, field interviews, property/evidence tracking, warrants and civil process data. Standard, custom and ad hoc report/statistical analysis capabilities are all components of LRMS, including automated National Incident Based Reporting System (NIBRS) reports to the Colorado Crime Information Center (CCIC) and ultimately to the FBI's National Crime Information Center (NCIC).

"In addition to all of the benefits the system provides the officer on the road, we see the project as a tremendous tool for the administrator as well," said Jim Lynn, CAD/RMS project manager. "We will have real-time information with regard to accurate counts of calls for service. This data will be used to develop incident flow studies that will assist in the deployment of resources and help determine if staffing levels are sufficient to meet the needs of the department."

Company Information

Printrak International (http://www.printrakinternational.com) is a leading worldwide supplier of integrated identification and information systems used in public safety applications and civil applications such as national I.D. programs.

In the public safety sector, Printrak's Digital Justice Solution(TM) provides networked fingerprint, photo imaging, computer-aided dispatch and automated records management systems. Printrak's civil systems prevent identity fraud and provide the identification infrastructure required for commercial fingerprint biometric applications. The company's systems serve approximately 700 national, state, county and municipal agencies in 36 countries.