askSam Database Application Helps Orange County District Attorney Solve Homicides

TracKRS Database Could be Model for the Nation

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:  February 4, 1999

A new database application called TracKRS is helping investigators solve sexually motivated crimes. TracKRS was developed by askSam Systems for the Orange County (California) District Attorney's office. It contains information on victims, suspects, and weapons from approximately 2,100 cases - 1,400 sexual assaults and 700 murders -- dating back to 1969. Currently, 21 of Orange County's 23 police agencies can access the database for information that could help them solve cases.  Investigators search the database based on M.O. to locate similar crimes. They can compare a suspect's DNA to DNA found at the crime scene. Although the project began less than two years ago and is still in development, prosecutors have filed seven homicide cases.  

While other law enforcement agencies maintain databases, TracKRS is unique in several ways. First, it allows investigators from different agencies to remotely access a central database via a dial-up or intranet connection. Second, the TracKRS database is set up so that investigators can easily search without learning a complex query language. Frequently used searches are predefined, and the entire database is full-text searchable for any word or phrase.

Members of the Crime Scene Working Group from The National Commission on the Future of DNA Evidence recently visited the Orange County District Attorney's Office in an effort to learn more about TracKRS. "Our mission is to maximize the value of DNA in the criminal justice system", said The National Commission's Executive Director, Chris Asplen, who is also a Washington, D.C.-based Assistant U.S. attorney.  The findings of this working group which is administered by the National Institute of Justice are to be presented to Attorney General Janet Reno in a report.

Technical Details about TracKRS

TracKRS is programmed using Active Server Pages and the powerful askSam Database Engine. It runs on Windows NT servers running Microsoft Internet Information Server software. Users access TracKRS with a standard Web browser (Microsoft Internet Explorer, Netscape Navigator, and others). TracKRS runs over a standard  TCP/IP network connection. For more information and an online demo, see: http://www.askSam.com/trackers.

About askSam Systems

Over the last 14 years askSam Systems has created some of the world's most popular free-form database and information management tools.  askSam products are utilized worldwide by over 250,000 users to collect, organize and distribute information. For more information on askSam Systems see http://www.askSam.com/ or call 1-800-800-1997 (or 850-584-6590).