With the click of a computer mouse, the facts of a crime can be laid out, the suspects displayed and similar evidence from other cases identified.

This new crime-fighting software, “eCop,” was developed by FTL Information Technology of Utica, in a collaborative effort with the Rome Police Department and will soon be on the market available to other law enforcement agencies. It helps detectives compile facts and sort evidence in a case.

“I think it could be a major tool in law enforcement,” Police Chief Merino J. Ciccone said. “It allows you to do many things in an investigation, “he said.

“It’s a tool that condenses all the material into a very user-friendly format,” Ciccone said.

eCop operates on a server integrated with the department’s computer system. The web-enabled software can be accessed through any of the department’s computers with a specific login. When created, each case file allows for the creator to designate who will have access to that case.

For each crime, detectives login and assign it a case file identifier. Within each case file, a crime timeline is automatically created once the information is inputted with the date and time. Each of the events surrounding the crime in the timeline can be accessed for more details.

Along with specific crime events, information on evidence and suspects can also be entered and viewed.

“We can put every piece of evidence into digital format, “ Chicano said. “It’s a virtual case review,” chief said.

In developing eCop, the priority was “information sharing,” said Tony Spina, who is the chief scientist at FTL. Rome police “were very interested in that,” he said.

The company decided to pursue development of a system of a crime timeline and case file system following some significant events. “The thing that drove 9-11 and the sniper shootings” in the Washington, D.C. area, Spina said. In the case of the sniper shootings, various police agencies were working on similar incidents that were determined to be related. “We felt if you could put a timeline out there, “Spina said, the case might be easier to piece together.

In regards to the terrorist attacks of Sept., 2001, there is the concern that there wasn’t enough information shared between government agencies prior to the attacks, which could have raised more flags.

“We internally came up with the design, “ Spina said, “but we really needed a law enforcement practitioner.”

Company officials asked around in the community, to find an agency that might be receptive in helping create the application. Their search continued to point to the Rome Police Department. Tony Spina said they heard that “ Chief Ciccone liked technology” and he was known “to be a risk-taker’ and “progressive in his thinking.”

Ciccone met with the company a year ago and “he’s been supporting us ever since. “Spina said.

“I feel proud” that the Rome Police Department has assisted in this technology. “As with any new idea, I like to hear about them, “Ciccone said.

The chief initially wrote out a needs statement, detailing what the department would require in such a system.

During reviews of the design, the company met with Ciccone and Senior Detective Edward Stevens to go over the latest changes and what else needed to be added or updated. Former interim Mayor John Mazzaferro and Mayor James F. Brown have also met with company officials.

Nearing the final design of the first version of eCop, the system was installed at the police station in January and has been “running successfully.”Spina said.

Officials said the eCop system cuts down on manpower hours. Instead of going through paperwork, the facts are all a stroke key away.

For the detectives, it paints a picture of the entire case. It “helps the detective analyze” the case, said Frank Spina, Tony Spina’s son and president of FTL. The younger Spina is a computer scientist.

“Sometimes major cases take years, “Ciccone said. Personnel changes occur and detectives retire. With eCop, “we could resurrect a case and bring new people up to speed within hours, “the chief said.

‘Instead of walking to the photo room or evidence room,” Ciccone said the information is all in place. “You don’t have to leave your desk.”

It’s also “a great management tool,” Tony Spina said. Higher-level officers can view the casework and see at what stage a case is developing.

At the end of the year, statistics can be easily computed. “I like the coordinating aspects of the program. It allows you to do statistical tracking,” Stevens said.

City police have placed several working cases on it, testing it out. “We want to see its ability, “ Stevens said.

The system allows for ‘cross comparison of cases to look for similarities, “Stevens said.

Having it all in one place, is a “time-savings tool,” Stevens said.

Information can be easily stored to a disk or generated in a paper form to forward to the district attorney’s office or to another agency, Stevens said.

The system integrates with other computer functions and police systems. For instance, a blood splatter picture could be taken from the eCop system, placed in an e-mail and sent to an expert for review.

Along with photos, eCop can handle any other type of media file. Both video clips and audio clips can be stored within the case file.

Throughout its testing, the department has suggested enhancements, Frank Spina said.

Now, the company is ready to establish the first version of eCop and make it available to other police agencies late this summer or early fall. ECop has already piqued the interest of other police agencies and it will be presented at a meeting of the Oneida County Law Enforcement Coalition this month.

No prices for eCop have been set, as they work out the details. But, one of the plans could possibly include a system of leasing the capability. However, the company wants to make it compatible and cost-effective for the smallest to the largest police departments. “It won’t break their budget, “Tony Spina said.

For the company, the police department’s assistance is a collaborative effort in the creation of eCop and the company considers them a partner in the work that has been done.

“It’s a tool built by a cop for a cop,”Tony Spina said. Since being a partner in its development, the police department will have the capability free of charge. Along with the benefits to the department, “certainly the city of Rome will benefit “ from the work being done, Ciccone said.

“There’s no other way to get more personnel. You have to make the most efficient use of time. We have to look toward technology, “ he said. Technology “is going to be the light at the end of the tunnel, he said.

“Part of administration is to bring in tools for members to be effective and efficient, “ Ciccone said.

“I think the program is worthy of a lot of consideration,” Ciccone said. “It’s for the betterment of law enforcement. It’s for the betterment of the community,” he said.

By Kathleen M. Haley