Wachs Proposes Wider Use of Computers by LAPD Detectives
In the latest effort to bring the Los Angeles Police Department into the computer age, City Councilman Joel Wachs has proposed computerizing the way detectives keep track of their investigations.
Currently, LAPD detectives maintain their files by hand. If the City Council approves Wachs’ motion, scheduled for consideration today, the Police Department would get $1.3 million to computerize detectives’ records.
“We figure it could save at least 15% of the time that detectives spend processing paper,” said Bill Russell, commanding officer of the LAPD’s support services bureau, calling that a conservative estimate.
A computerized case-tracking system would allow police detectives to update their files more efficiently from the time that a crime report is taken to the time the a case is presented to the district attorney’s office.
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