Minnesota House of Representatives
Republican Caucus

(ST. PAUL) -- The Minnesota House Crime Prevention Committee today unanimously approved an integrated criminal justice information system that would connect law enforcement agencies across the state. The measure will complement "Katie's Law," a plan to crack down on sex criminal offenders with tougher registration requirements and enhanced penalties.

"This will have the effect of increasing offender accountability for behavior and agency accountability for performance," said Crime Prevention Committee Chairman Rich Stanek (R-Maple Grove), author of the bill and a 16-year police veteran who has been working on information systems for several years. "Public safety is a basic tenet of government, and this is an emergency need."

In committee testimony, Hennepin County Sheriff Pat McGowan and Scott County Sheriff Bill Nevin supported Stanek's request for the integrated network, as well as a coalition of legal and business leaders throughout the state who have backed House and Senate proposals. The bill has strong bipartisan support, and although Gov. Jesse Ventura says he supports the idea of the improved information sharing, he has admonished legislators who are seeking any funding for items not on his own agenda. Stanek responded with a challenge to the Governor that the failure to fund such a vital public need would be irresponsible.

Currently, the state has about 1,100 different agencies and departments that access criminal records. Because most of their computer systems were developed independently, systems are incompatible with each other and little information is shared between individual departments on repeat offenders. "Good information is the foundation of any effective criminal justice system," he said. "Knowledge is power."

In the private sector, computer technology has progressed at a rapid pace over the past 10 years. However, Stanek said, government's use of that technology has not quite kept up, due in part to limited budgets and the lack of a clear blueprint to guide the thousands of separate government systems to a uniform organization.

But in the past few years, many law enforcement agencies have computerized and others are rapidly moving in that direction. Variations of portable computers, have found their way into squad cars and make easy work of managing evidence, he added. Some agencies nationwide have even utilized the Internet for crime-fighting and public notification. Photo imaging and fingerprint scanners are a logical next step, he said. "These high-tech enterprises are creative and practical law enforcement responses to the increasing sophistication of criminals."

The 30-year old National Crime Information Center (NCIC) is the predecessor to state clearinghouse crime databases and can be credited for helping investigators track down the Oklahoma City federal building bomber. But in the past few years, the NCIC is also overhauling its systems to make way for information beyond names and license plate numbers, like digital mug shots and fingerprints carried over wireless modems to laptops.

"In Minnesota, connecting law officers' databases statewide is a vital link that needs to be made for the safety of our youth and others who would be vulnerable to predatory criminals," Stanek said.

Already this year, the House Crime Prevention Committee has endorsed a series of bills incorporating recommendations from the Katie Poirier Abduction Task Force regarding the tracking of sex offenders. "Katie's Law" proposals will enforce and build on current sex offender registration requirements by:

increasing penalties for failing to register; bringing new offenders under the registration law; allowing flexibility in the statute of limitations for prosecutors; restricting felons' name changes; requiring lifetime registration for violent or predatory sex offenders; and, posting information about Level III sex offenders on the Department of Corrections website.

Stanek said that Minnesota's Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) has been building a DNA database for several years. As sex offenders are forced to register, the number of samples matching evidence left at the scene of crimes will increase and more information will be able to be used in the statewide database.

Another positive example of the use of computer networks in crime fighting is Minnesota's statewide gang task force, which utilizes networked law enforcement technology to track gang activities and identify chronic law-breakers. It is one of the first of its kind model in the nation, Stanek said. Another is the work done to integrate the databases of cities, counties and the State Patrol by Minnesota HEALS.

HEALS, which stands for Hope, Education and Law & Safety, is a public-private partnership guided by a coalition of law enforcement, government, corporations and local communities. It was formed by Honeywell and the Minnesota Business Partnership in 1997 in response to skyrocketing murder rates in Minneapolis.

The pilot program is linking the 37 law enforcement jurisdictions within Hennepin County and is financially supported by matching funds from both the business community and the state, local governments and municipalities. The private sector's accumulated knowledge and "best-practices" use of databases and communications-- teamed with the enforcement capacity of the criminal justice system--should prove to be a pivotal combination, Stanek added.

But for now, officers often lack critical information to make informed decisions about suspects.

Last session Rep. Stanek was the chief author of legislation which encouraged local units of government to develop integrated criminal justice information plans. The bill provided $1 million in matching funds for counties across Minnesota.

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