Below
are answers to common questions that have been asked by officer's and
administrators regarding SceneSearch. It is intended to assist you
in your decision making process. If you would prefer to
speak to our pre-sales staff call us at (614) 899-2828 Monday through
Saturday 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. EDT).
Either scroll down to browse through questions asked by other agencies
or click on the hyperlinks below:
Bottom line
will it save my agency time and money?
Yes. Every piece of evidence you
collect is cross referenced in a number of documents that are usually
hand crafted by your officers. Examples of these documents are
evidence or property sheets, chain of custody forms, evidence labels,
and officer narratives.
SceneSearch targets the documentation
of evidence by entering the information one time and then using it to
complete all of the above forms. I have worked
thousands of scenes and have labored for several weeks to write or type
the same information over and over again.
With SceneSearch, as the officer enters
the evidence into the program it anticipates all of the forms you need
to complete. SceneSearch provides the correct entry screen for the
type of evidence being collected. Subsequently, you only
fill out what is needed and don't have to guess at what is correct.
When the search is completed all of the
documents can be printed on scene or at the station with your agencies
name at the top of each page. It even creates a text file with all
the evidence collection process detailed which can be copied and pasted
into your agencies narrative report. All this
without re-typing the information.
Simply put when you walk away from
the crime scene the documentation is complete and you move onto the next
task.
What
is the benefit of using SceneSearch at a crime scene?
SceneSearch expedites the processing of
crime scenes by automating redundant information without sacrificing
quality. It reduces common mistakes in documenting evidence and
crime scene logs.
It organizes the documentation and
ultimately the case at the onset of the investigation which quite
frequently is the crime scene.
It provides immediate information about
the number of items collected and the relationship of the item to
suspects, victims or the crime scene itself.
Using SceneSearch is like adding an
experienced Detective to every crime scene. The program is
designed to organize crime scene information and then create reports
required for Detectives and Prosecutors.
Our Department only does a couple of search warrants or crimes scenes a
year, why should we buy SceneSearch?
Agencies that have a few scenes a year
often find that the lapses between scenes bring about a loss of an
officer's skills. The down side of this is that the loss occurs
when you need those skills the most at the crime scene.
I developed SceneSearch as a result of
necessity. We responded to hundreds of scenes a year. That
experience is built into SceneSearch. A Detective with basic crime
scene and search warrant knowledge will leave the scene with proper
documentation of the evidence that they have collected.
Officers who use the program have
told me that it is easy to learn, easy to use and keeps you from making
mistakes.
How much
evidence can SceneSearch process per scene?
SceneSearch is capable of comfortably
handling in excess of fifty thousand pieces of evidence per crime scene.
In using the software we have processed two full semi tractor trailer
loads of evidence with thousands of pieces and without any problems
whatsoever.
The earliest prototype for SceneSearch
was utilized during the 1993 Lucasville Prison Riot. Although a
primitive version, over 20,000 pieces of evidence were collected and
recorded with the software again without any errors or problems.
How many scenes will
SceneSearch handle?
SceneSearch is capable of holding the
data for tens of thousands of scenes. The database that
SceneSearch uses is Microsoft Access 2002.
Performance may vary
depending upon system resources such as processor speeds and memory.
What do Prosecutor's
think of SceneSearch?
Prosecutors have actually had input
into the output design of SceneSearch. The Court Exhibit
screen provides them a means of preparing the evidence in a case for
trial.
They have found the search warrant
inventories and other documents extremely helpful. The documents
are designed to reduce their work efforts making it quicker and easier
to file inventories, forfeitures and other court writs.
Lastly, because it is designed to
reduce errors it reduces the number of trial issues that they have to
deal with. The accuracy and depth of information makes it a tool
they like.
Can I purchase a copy and then add to my licenses at a later time or as
the need arises?
Yes, you may purchase additional
licenses for your agency at anytime after the purchase of the first
version.
Are
there any costs for updates or upgrades?
Updates to SceneSearch are free via the
web and available for the cost of media if you wish to receive them via
mail.
Future upgraded versions will be
available at a minimal charge.
Why is the cost of the SceneSearch lower than other computer products?
When I developed SceneSearch I wanted
to create a tool that was a benefit to Law Enforcement. Making
SceneSearch an affordable tool presents the opportunity for both large
and small agencies to obtain it.
SceneSearch is designed to work at any
level and was actually designed by me to handle the largest crime scene
in Ohio's history, which it did. It has been utilized in various
formats and scenes of various sizes for over a decade. SceneSearch
has withstood the test of both the crime scene environment and the
courtroom.
How do I know if SceneSearch is compatible with my state laws?
SceneSearch was designed around the
basic rules of evidence and search warrant procedure.
Subsequently, SceneSearch should comply with most state laws regarding
search warrant returns.
You can download a demo of the software
by clicking on the products button. You can then print and compare
the reports in SceneSearch with documents that you are currently using.
We recommend that you share the
document with your Prosecutor or District Attorney to insure that they
meet your particular needs.
If our state law requires changes to the search warrant
inventories or court documents will you make modifications?
Yes, we reserve the right to make
modifications to the reports on an individual case by case basis.
If it is a statutory requirement many times it is without cost.
Is
SceneSearch compatible with a N.I.B.R.S compliant system?
SceneSearch is not a N.I.B.R.S
compliant software. It is designed to compliment such systems by
handling tasks that are personnel intensive and not handled within
N.I.B.R.S systems.
Why do I need another computer application when I have a N.I.B.R.S
compliant system?
The answer to this is quiet simple,
N.I.B.R.S case systems don't do all of the work. N.I.B.R.S systems
are designed to capture information for federal reporting purposes, and
provide a means of retrieving data on suspects, victims and witnesses.
They were never designed to be an investigative tool.
Because of the short comings of
N.I.B.R.S software, as an administrator you know that your investigators
spend days and even weeks completing, narrative reports, correlating
photographs, evidence by contributors, organizing crime scene log
information and reviewing assignments.
SceneSearch is specifically designed to
be an investigative tool and to maximize your personnel resources.
It completes all of these tasks while evidence and events are being
processed at the crime scene.
When your officers leave the scene
their crime scene report is completed as well as labels, crime scene
log, forfeiture reports, search warrant returns and a host of other
reports.
This directly translates to a
substantial cost savings in terms of both monetary and personnel
expenditures. Almost every agency that uses SceneSearch has
experienced a positive return on their investment on the product's first
use.
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