dent bulletins and communicate about the case with each other.
Moreover, the submitting officer receives an immediate email
notification alerting them when an update is made to their incident. These updates are crucial on felony cases where time is of
the essence and, oftentimes, bridges the information gap between
patrol teams and detectives.
MVPD launched the DOC in 2010 and it has grown organically since its inception. The system began with a few hypertext
titles on its dashboard and has evolved into a series of interactive
tabs including warrants, local sex offenders, department memos,
resources, training, and a recently added social media tab. It is
now the central hub for information throughout the department.
In October 2011, MVPD soon realized the website’s communicative ability when officers utilized the system to identify
and apprehend a commercial burglary crime spree. Officers
from several different shifts used the DOC to update the case by
providing photos of the suspects and their vehicle. Consequently,
two suspects were arrested after an officer matched the suspect
vehicle to the image posted on the DOC.
At a nominal cost of $1,000 to $3,000 per year (depending on
the functionality desired), the capability, effectiveness, and success of the website continues to grow. Bordering law enforcement
agencies including Los Altos Police Department and the Palo Alto
Police Department have met with the same vendor to create their
own website. Additionally, the vendor is currently developing a
solution that would link our three departments through a common forum to share cross jurisdictional crime information. The
desired result will be to blur the borders between the three cities
and gain a better operational picture of crime trends and intelligence in the region, instead of any one city in particular.
Ultimately, crime information should not be limited to an
individual city or county, but rather shared on a regional level. When law enforcement agencies work collaboratively on a
single and shared platform, information is easily disseminated
irrespective of boundaries. Cities benefit by seeing a reduction in
crime and an increase in the level of cooperation and knowledge
amongst law enforcement entities. ?
Seen Here? Daily briefing of MVPD officers using iCops.
FALL 2013 | California Police Chief
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