Florida Fulfills Commitment To Sept. 11Th Commission
The University of Central Florida and the Florida Data Sharing System Consortium, composed of state law enforcement agencies, have developed the Florida Integrated Network for Data Exchange and Retrieval that gives more than 80 law enforcement agencies in Florida instant access to each other’s databases of police records.
The system allows officers and investigators to search databases through queries involving property, automobiles, pawn activity, suspects, and convicted offenders as well as their known associates. Eventually, 355 state agencies will be linked to the system, but Mike Reynolds of the University of Central Florida has an even more ambitious goal.
“Several other state have expressed interest in joining the network,” he says. “Connecting up with other states is as easy as connecting to the county next door. We could have law enforcement throughout the entire Southeastern United States sharing information by the end of this year.”
Congress recently approved $250,000 in funding to expand the network. Such law enforcement tools are mandated by the 2004 National Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act and serve as an example of the information sharing called for by the September 11th Commission.
Abstracted by the National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center(NLECTC) from the Sheriff (08/05) Vol. 57, No. 4, P. 48; Beary, Kevin.
