Coplink Helps Nab Suspected Serial Robbers
COPLINK is a database tool in use in Southern California that soon will be placed in all Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) patrol cars.
The tool links and gathers data from San Diego to Los Angeles from myriad documents, including from suspect descriptions, license plate numbers, arrest reports, citations, criminal records, and more.
The LAPD, for instance, recently was faced with a serial criminal targeting people leaving their ATMs. Investigators had “TNV” as three license plate numbers, and after entering “TNV” into COPLINK, found a report in Palmdale, Calif., for one Ricky Marshall with a “TNV” license plate, who also was linked to a similar crime in Palmdale. LAPD tracked Marshall, and caught him and his partner attempting the same robbery.
Abstracted by the National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center (NLECTC) from the Daily News of Los Angeles (04/06/07); P. N3; Uranga, Rachel.
