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Tickfaw police go high-tech
Aimee Yee
Daily Star Staff Writer
TICKFAW -- Officers at the Tickfaw Police Department are breathing sighs of relief now that they have the capability of knowing how dangerous a suspect is before they exit their patrol cars.
Lt. Mike Roach sat at his desk Wednesday afternoon, showing off a new, high-tech tool to fight crime -- specialized software. Through laptop computers, officers are using an information sharing software called Thinkstream that gets results in the blink of an eye.
With the quick entry of a driver's license number, officers learn exactly who they're dealing with instead of walking into dangerous situations blindly, Roach explained. It allows officers in the field to access instantly and simultaneously local, state and national databases from inside their patrol car.
Impact already being felt
Although the software was installed less than two weeks ago, officers are already feeling the impact of its success.
Just days after their patrol cars began running the software, Officer Mike Miller said he saw the difference it made.
He pulled over a driver during a routine traffic stop, called in to the Tangipahoa Parish sheriff's dispatch and then entered the driver's license number into Thinkstream.
A red flash immediately showed across the screen that the driver had a record with the state and the Department of Motor Vehicles. The man had been arrested several times for assault, battery and murder.
While the suspect only got a ticket during the traffic stop, the information let Miller know to handle the situation with extreme caution and to stay alert, he said.
Another officer used the software after he stopped a car and noticed that the man tried to use his brother's driver's license number. The picture on the computer copy of his driver's license didn't match, so he got an extra ticket for misrepresentation.
Officers said Thinkstream has taken the burden off the sheriff's dispatchers who are responsible for handling calls in six of the parish's nine municipalities, Tickfaw Police Chief Jimmy Sparacello said. Before the new system, officers would have to radio a dispatcher to check licenses and then wait for the dispatcher to check several databases before getting their information. Now, officers can enter a license plate number and get a name, criminal history and picture of the suspect, within a matter of seconds.
In addition to keeping officers safe because they can check records and criminal histories before they even leave the cars, the new system saves time, allowing for more productivity in the field, which eventually leads to more arrests and a safer community.
Moving into 21st century
"Thinkstream has taken a small town like Tickfaw and moved us into the 21st century -- we're loving it. We're small, but we're here," Sparacello said.
And Tickfaw, a village of less than 800 residents, is the first municipality in Tangipahoa Parish to join larger Louisiana cities in using the high-tech equipment to fight crime.
The Louisiana network is considered the largest civil and criminal information network in the nation, Thinkstream CEO Barry Bellue said.
"It's a technological breakthrough that can help save civilians and officers' lives and at the same time put criminals behind bars."
The Thinkstream technology has already proven beneficial as well, Roach said. A sheriff's deputy was trying to get information from dispatch on a suspect when the state's computers went down.
"So one of our officers heard the call, used his computer and ran it (the suspect's information) and gave it to the dispatcher and deputy," Sparacello said.
Arrests since the software was installed are showing that Thinkstream works well, Sparacello said.
Not only can officers access information like felony and misdemeanor arrest warrants they can also get sex registrant status, domestic violence background, restraining orders and previous contact with police, Roach explained. The system also allows access to FBI databases and national records, such as the National Criminal Information Computer.
© Hammond Star
Aimee Yee
Daily Star Staff Writer
TICKFAW -- Officers at the Tickfaw Police Department are breathing sighs of relief now that they have the capability of knowing how dangerous a suspect is before they exit their patrol cars.
Lt. Mike Roach sat at his desk Wednesday afternoon, showing off a new, high-tech tool to fight crime -- specialized software. Through laptop computers, officers are using an information sharing software called Thinkstream that gets results in the blink of an eye.
With the quick entry of a driver's license number, officers learn exactly who they're dealing with instead of walking into dangerous situations blindly, Roach explained. It allows officers in the field to access instantly and simultaneously local, state and national databases from inside their patrol car.
Impact already being felt
Although the software was installed less than two weeks ago, officers are already feeling the impact of its success.
Just days after their patrol cars began running the software, Officer Mike Miller said he saw the difference it made.
He pulled over a driver during a routine traffic stop, called in to the Tangipahoa Parish sheriff's dispatch and then entered the driver's license number into Thinkstream.
A red flash immediately showed across the screen that the driver had a record with the state and the Department of Motor Vehicles. The man had been arrested several times for assault, battery and murder.
While the suspect only got a ticket during the traffic stop, the information let Miller know to handle the situation with extreme caution and to stay alert, he said.
Another officer used the software after he stopped a car and noticed that the man tried to use his brother's driver's license number. The picture on the computer copy of his driver's license didn't match, so he got an extra ticket for misrepresentation.
Officers said Thinkstream has taken the burden off the sheriff's dispatchers who are responsible for handling calls in six of the parish's nine municipalities, Tickfaw Police Chief Jimmy Sparacello said. Before the new system, officers would have to radio a dispatcher to check licenses and then wait for the dispatcher to check several databases before getting their information. Now, officers can enter a license plate number and get a name, criminal history and picture of the suspect, within a matter of seconds.
In addition to keeping officers safe because they can check records and criminal histories before they even leave the cars, the new system saves time, allowing for more productivity in the field, which eventually leads to more arrests and a safer community.
Moving into 21st century
"Thinkstream has taken a small town like Tickfaw and moved us into the 21st century -- we're loving it. We're small, but we're here," Sparacello said.
And Tickfaw, a village of less than 800 residents, is the first municipality in Tangipahoa Parish to join larger Louisiana cities in using the high-tech equipment to fight crime.
The Louisiana network is considered the largest civil and criminal information network in the nation, Thinkstream CEO Barry Bellue said.
"It's a technological breakthrough that can help save civilians and officers' lives and at the same time put criminals behind bars."
The Thinkstream technology has already proven beneficial as well, Roach said. A sheriff's deputy was trying to get information from dispatch on a suspect when the state's computers went down.
"So one of our officers heard the call, used his computer and ran it (the suspect's information) and gave it to the dispatcher and deputy," Sparacello said.
Arrests since the software was installed are showing that Thinkstream works well, Sparacello said.
Not only can officers access information like felony and misdemeanor arrest warrants they can also get sex registrant status, domestic violence background, restraining orders and previous contact with police, Roach explained. The system also allows access to FBI databases and national records, such as the National Criminal Information Computer.
© Hammond Star
