By R. PATRICK CORBETT
Observer-Dispatch

ROME -- The Rome Police Department is helping a Utica company perfect a computer program aimed at keeping critical criminal cases from ever growing cold.

The "eCop" software is the crime-fighting brainchild of FTL Information Technology. It gives investigators quick and easy access to information gathered about a crime, from times and places, to witness statements, to information on suspects, to photographs or even videos of evidence.

"It's nice internally right now," Rome Detective Kevin Simons said as he demonstrated a recent counterfeit case entered on Rome's eCop system.

Instead of thumbing through a half-inch thick file of paper, Simons clicked his mouse and called to his computer screen complaint reports, investigators' narratives, witness statements, suspects' photos and images of the counterfeit bills.

He said a search feature also lets him enter a single detail, such as "$20 bill," and eCop will list all cases in which a $20 bill was recorded in evidence.

Rome Detective Commander Edward Stevens said the ultimate goal is to put the information on the Internet where any authorized agency can share it. He said FTL has met with the Oneida County District Attorney's staff to discuss ways to standardize the way information is stored and accessed.

Developed in collaboration with the Rome Police Department, eCop now is available to law enforcement agencies nationwide, FTL project chief scientist Tony Spina said.

He said FTL came up with the basic program, but it needed to tweak the concept in a law enforcement setting.

He said he turned to Rome for the test because former Rome Police Chief Merino Ciccone always was looking for new crime-fighting technology.

The first version was installed in the Rome Police Department in January.

"There are still changes being made," Stevens said, and there will be more changes after eCop goes into full-time use later this year. He said Spina "has never said no" when asked to program in a new feature that fits Rome's specific needs.

Stevens said while eCop simplifies life for investigators, it makes him more organized, too. He said it lets him manage the department's entire investigative caseload with a mouse click, rather than having to comb through boxes of material on every case.

Rome Police Chief Otto Panara said he's not technologically gifted, but he knows a good investigative tool when he sees it. "If a case drags on, this will let us bring new (investigators) up to speed fast ... any time a new lead comes in," he said.

Ciccone said because of the need for security and protecting the chain of evidence, eCop will save money by cutting the time officers have to spend signing out evidence and physically sorting through piles of paper reports.

"It has the potential to maximize man-hours. It's a real force multiplier," the former chief said.

Spina agreed. "This cop's tool has been assembled by cops," he said.