Cactus Village Community

GOVERNOR BRINGS F.B.I.’S (VICAP) PROGRAM TO ARIZONA

Jul 10, 2003

Governor Janet Napolitano has unveiled a new partnership between the Arizona Department of Public Safety (DPS), the FBI and our local law enforcement to utilize a computer database that will help police and other investigative agencies track sexual assault and other related crimes.

The Sex Crimes Analysis Network (SCAN) is now operational and will soon be accessible by law enforcement statewide. Launching the network with the Governor were Attorney General Terry Goddard, DPS Chief Dennis Garrett and FBI.
Special-Agent-in-Charge Charlene Thornton.

?“This database will give law enforcement a powerful tool needed to apprehend sex offenders,?” said Napoiltano. ?“It will allow them to quickly share profile information about suspects, including the geographical area of crimes, physical descriptions and other important details.?”

Arizona becomes the first state in the country to link its database to the FBI?’s Violent Crime Apprehension Program (VICAP), which will eventually give Arizona law enforcement the capacity to access analysis information involving all types of violent crime.

While law enforcement has always had the ability to exchange vItal information about suspects, their methods of doing so have largely been time?— intensive and unsophisticated, including using the telephone, Teletype, fax machines to share data. The SCAN allows investigators to enter information into the database and search for possible suspects.
Additionally, the SCAN can pinpoint where registered sex offenders are living in any given neighborhood in the State.

The SCAN will also be useful in improving the state?’s arrest rates of sex offenders. Authorities in Washington State say their arrest rates have gone up 13% since implementation of the SCAN.

(?“Another step forward?”) Ed.). . .☺