JusticeXchange aids in catching homicide, burglary suspects

Users across the country continue to extol the value of JusticeXchange®, the leading solution for connecting criminal justice agencies nationwide.

JusticeXchange recently aided in the identification of homicide suspects in New York. Patsy Collins, an investigator with the New York State Police Intelligence Center, reported that the Aberdeen, Maryland Police Department issued a teletype about a homicide with suspects possibly in route back to New York, but their full identities were unknown. After several days of investigating, the one subject was identified. Collins performed a search on that subject in JusticeXchange and found a previous incarceration in New York City. Collins also found that related individuals shared the same address. One of those was identified as the other homicide suspect. This information was provided to the Aberdeen Police Department, and they now have felony warrants for both individuals.

In Texas, JusticeXchange is helping the Dallas Police Department catch burglary suspects. The department’s T.A.B.S (Targeting Against Burglary Suspects) program was recently implemented to track recent burglars within the city. The Southeast Division set up watches for 226 suspects in JusticeXchange and from January through March, the division arrested 82 individuals on the list. Using JusticeXchange, officers in the field have been able to gather information such as additional addresses, vehicle information, known associates, and previous booking information. “The additional information received through JusticeXchange has been instrumental in assisting officers to locate these offenders if they have an active warrant or are wanted for questioning,” said Officer Joe King. “It has helped the Dallas Police Department and the TABS program succeed.”

Appriss customers in the spotlight for National Crime Victims’ Rights Week

With 2010 National Crime Victims’ Rights Week underway, communities across the country are commemorating the occasion with awards, conferences, and other events.

Herman Milholland

Last week, during the prelude activities for NCVRW in Washington, DC, the bi-partisan Congressional Victims’ Rights Caucus honored several outstanding individuals who have given of their time and service to helping victims. One of them was Herman Milholland, who received the Ed Stout Memorial Award for Outstanding Victim Advocacy. Milholland serves as director/chief of the Crime Victim Services Division in the Office of the Texas Attorney General and is a national leader on victim assistance issues. In addition to helping to bring VINE to Texas, he has built state and local programs from the ground up that provide crime victims with compensation and restitution. He has ensured that victims in court proceedings are treated with respect and afforded their rights under the law.

In Wisconsin, Colleen Jo Winston, director of the Department of Corrections Office of Victim Services and Programs, was honored by Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen during the state’s Crime Victims’ Rights Week ceremony today. Since her appointment as the office’s first director in 2000, Winston has expanded and enhanced the services provided to victims to keep them informed about their offender’s custody status. Winston’s office provides more than 16,000 notifications to victims each year about offender custody status changes and offers personal assistance and advocacy to crime victims.

And this Friday, the New York State Sheriffs Association Institute will host its fourth annual New York Statewide Conference on VINE. Law enforcement professionals, victim advocates, and others from across the state gather each year in Albany for training on new VINE features and to commemorate National Crime Victims’ Rights Week.

Crime Victims’ Rights Week events coming up in the nation’s capital

National Crime Victims’ Rights Week kicks off tomorrow with prelude activities in Washington, DC. The Office for Victims of Crime in the U.S. Department of Justice will hold two prelude events to pay tribute to crime victims and survivors and to honor individuals and organizations that have demonstrated outstanding service for victims. The events include a candlelight vigil featuring U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder and victim advocate William Kellibrew. A National Crime Victims’ Service Awards Ceremony honors individuals and organizations that demonstrate outstanding service in supporting victims and victim services.

2009 NCVRW Candlelight Observance attendees observe a moment of silence.

In addition, Appriss will be part of the 2010 National Crime Victims’ Rights Forum hosted by the U.S. Congressional Victims’ Rights Caucus. The event will feature caucus co-chairs Rep. Ted Poe (R-TX) and Rep. Jim Costa (D-CA) and include discussion of domestic and international issues facing crime victims.

Check back for a briefing on these exciting events next week.

Free live and online learning from Appriss

The Appriss training team will be on the road and coming to your desktop in the upcoming weeks to deliver training for several services.

April 13-15: Delaware VINE Training – Dover
April 15: Kentucky Public Safety First Training – Sandy Hook
April 16: VINE Awareness Webinar
April 19-23: Arkansas VINE Training
April 27-28: Texas VINE Awareness Training – Brownsville
April 28: TDEx Webinar
April 29: JusticeXchange Webinar

If you’re interested in attending one of the sessions listed above, send e-mail to learning@appriss.com with ‘VINE Training Request’ in the Subject line.

Appriss tools help with sex offender monitoring

Law enforcement professionals across the country are taking advantage of Appriss tools that help manage and monitor sex offender populations.

Detective Corporal Afton White, a sex offender registration officer with the Odessa, Texas Police Department, uses JusticeXchange® to monitor and post watches for registered sex offenders within the city limits. The watches are set up to coincide with the sex offenders’ registration requirements. If an offender registers every 90 days, White creates the watch to expire in three months so he will be notified of the watch expiring, which also serves as a reminder that the offender is due to register.

White’s department also conducts two Registration Enforcement Apprehension Prosecution (REAP) operations twice a year, in which every registered sex offender in the county is contacted during a five-hour period. He performs a search in JusticeXchange for all registered sex offenders prior to the operation to determine whether they have been arrested by any outside agencies to prevent wasting time looking for them if they are currently in custody.

Appriss also partners with Watch Systems to offer a suite of essential tools for day-to-day sex offender management, including:

Offender Watch® – the industry standard sex offender registration, verification, and community notification tool that allows users to access community information, register for e-mail alerts about sex offenders’ movements, and use radial mapping to view offenders’ addresses;

A Booking Alert feature that enables law enforcement agencies to be automatically notified if a registered sex offender is booked into jail virtually anywhere in the country; and

An Active Contact module that automates the monitoring and management mechanism to send notifications to offenders based on the classification level of requirements for re-registration and other purposes.

Visit Appriss to learn more.

Appriss marks National Crime Victims’ Rights Week with free VINE Webinar

As a kickoff to National Crime Victims’ Rights Week, Appriss will offer a free VINE Webinar on Friday, April 16 at 2 p.m. EST.

The Webinar will provide an overview of VINE and its many features and is designed for a broad audience — including victims, family members, advocates, law enforcement professionals, and others with a sincere interest in supporting victims’ rights. To participate, go to https://apprissuniversity.appriss.com/openvine416/event/registration.html and fill out the form. After registering, you’ll receive an e-mail confirmation with instructions.

Bob Bales, a senior learning specialist with Appriss, recently conducted a VINE Webinar for members of the Family Justice Center Alliance.

Appriss Training Manager Jackie Harbison says the Webinar will be an ideal introduction for new VINE users and a good refresher for those who have used the service occasionally.

“Our online learning programs have become quite popular for several reasons — there’s a minimal time investment, there is no cost to the individual or their employer, and there is no limit to the number of participants,” says Harbison. “We’ve heard from participants who tell us they gather in a conference room at their agency and turn it into a “Lunch and Learn” or a professional development opportunity.”

Crime victims, survivors, and those who serve them are joining together to commemorate National Crime Victims’ Rights Week, a time to honor the individuals and the ideals that inspired the victims’ rights movement, April 18 to 24, 2010. This year’s theme — “Crime Victims’ Rights: Fairness. Dignity. Respect.” — reflects the decades-long struggle to secure victims’ rights in communities across the nation.

Central among them are the right to be heard during court hearings, the right to access services that can help them rebuild their lives, and the right to be notified if an offender is released from jail or prison.

VINE helps support and uphold these rights by providing a critical service that enhances victiims’ personal safety and helps them make informed choices about their cases, their alleged or convicted offenders, and their lives.

Appriss has also created an “Action Kit” to help promote VINE and National Crime Victims’ Rights Week. It is available for download at www.appriss.com. For questions about the Webinar, e-mail learning@appriss.com with “April 16 Webinar” in the subject line.