Keeping Track of Criminals

* The tragic situation discussed in “Accused Killer Slipped Through Crack in System” (Sept. 28) is a recurrence of events in the Night Stalker case, as well as many others, in which wanted individuals are able to move through the law enforcement and court systems without being caught.

Richard Ramirez, the infamous “Night Stalker,” using a phony name, had pleaded guilty to driving under the influence. He was sentenced to the standard fine and walked out of court. One week later, he was finally arrested for multiple murders. Neither law enforcement nor the court personnel knew who he was when he appeared in court, because the criminal history systems could not identify him unless accurate information was fed into the systems. This is exactly what happened with Douglas Oliver Kelly, the subject of your story.

Following the Ramirez case, Los Angeles County Municipal Court judges originated the idea for a computer system that would positively identify a person using sophisticated laser-reading fingerprint technology. The project evolved into a joint effort with law enforcement, the district attorney and probation.

Known as the Consolidated Criminal History Reporting System (CCHRS), it will positively identify an individual at the time of arrest, when a case is filed and when the person appears in court. At every stage of the proceedings, the criminal justice agencies will know the identity of the person and the extent of his or her criminal record. Giving false information (name, birth date, etc.) will not defeat CCHRS, because the system is based on positive identification, the basis of which is the recently perfected live-scan fingerprint technology presently being employed by law enforcement.

Now, with the system only 18 months from completion, the Night Stalker scenario has been repeated once again. Hopefully, there will be nothing to interfere with the speedy completion of this first-of-its-kind criminal history system. It will seek to prevent a similar recurrence of the recent tragic events.

KENNETH LEE CHOTINER

Los Angeles Municipal Court Judge

CCHRS Project Director