Thinkstream, Inc. software links data to help San Mateo County law enforcement agencies nab criminals

SAN MATEO COUNTY, CA, January 19, 2006 – Law enforcement officers in San Mateo County will soon have a more effective way to catch criminals and keep California's bay area safer thanks to a state-of-the-art criminal justice system that will connect the police records systems, allowing agencies to share critical information about a suspect.

Thinkstream, Inc., a leading software development company based in Baton Rouge, LA. announced the deployment of technology, which will give all San Mateo County law enforcement agencies the ability to share and access local, state and federal information by the end of February.

The project involved the construction of a regional hub capable of linking 21 law enforcement agencies in San Mateo County to the California State Switch.

The system allows officers in the participating law enforcement agencies access to vital criminal justice information instantly and simultaneously from their desks, vehicles or handheld devices. The information officers and deputies can access includes incident and arrest reports, warrants, court criminal records, drivers license records, mug shots, and sexual predator data. Users can search by name, vehicle characters, addresses and other identifiers via the Thinkstream Desktop application.

The concept for a system that would allow agencies to share their critical data files was initiated last year by former San Carlos Police Chief Jim Granucci and the San Mateo County Police Chiefs and Sheriffs Association. Thinkstream was chosen as the project vendor following an evaluation process in which the company's product solution outperformed a number of other competing vendors.

The Thinkstream technology and software is designed to ensure a more productive and streamlined information flow between agencies. Ultimately, this will result in improved coordination of criminal investigations of all kinds, from suspects involved in routine calls for service to persons who could be involved in events that may threaten the security of the county, San Mateo officials said.

"This technology will enhance the interoperability of police agencies across the county by allowing all participating agencies immediate access to individual case file information from any of the other 21 participating agencies," Hillsborough Police Chief Matt O'Connor said. "Access to police records information in this secure system will enhance criminal investigations by providing real time access to shared records information across San Mateo County," he said.

Before the system was in place, the only way most agencies in San Mateo County could access criminal justice information was through the telephone, fax machine, and mail system. A small number of other agencies share data, but this is only available to these agencies with the same Records Management System. The new solution designed by Thinkstream will allow all agencies to share data regardless of the Record's system.

Participating agencies in San Mateo County include: the San Mateo Sheriff's Office, and Police Departments in Foster City, San Carlos, Redwood City, Menlo Park, Belmont, East Palo Alto and Hillsborough. Several other agencies in San Mateo have joined and will be added to the system in the coming months.

Thinkstream has the capability to integrate agencies in the entire state of California, Thinkstream President and CEO Barry Bellue said.

"We're excited about the work we've accomplished in California. The system is there to serve all the citizens of San Mateo County, as well as the men and women of law enforcement who put their lives on the line everyday to protect the public safety of their communities" Bellue said. "We'll continue to work with the agencies in San Mateo County to keep this system a highly effective and dependable tool to fight crime," he said.

About Thinkstream
Thinkstream, Inc., a leading software development company based in Baton Rouge, specializes in criminal justice applications that tie agencies together securely giving them the ability to rapidly share critical information across organizational, agency and geographic boundaries. The company has linked over 150 agencies in eight regions of the state, making LACCIE the largest civil and criminal information network in the nation. The company also operates systems in Texas, Florida and California.

CEO Barry Bellue, who also founded Fifth Generation Systems, a national top 20 software company acquired by Symantec, established Thinkstream over nine years ago. Mr. Bellue heads a team of engineers with over 60 years combined experience in designing Web-based integrated information networks for businesses and criminal justice agencies across the nation.

Thinkstream, Inc. is an active member of the Internet Working Group for Justice Integration Committee. Established by the U.S. Department of Justice, committee members contribute their knowledge and experience to promote and implement integrated information systems (IJIS) throughout the country.