Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department on the Case With Information Builders' Law Enforcement Analytics

North Carolina's Largest City Embraces Predictive Policing Model to Reduce Crime and Improve Public Safety


NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwire - February 8, 2010) - Information Builders, an independent leader in business intelligence (BI) solutions, today announced that Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD) will implement its Law Enforcement Analytics (LEA) dashboard solution with geographical and predictive analysis to help identify where and how resources should be deployed to reduce crime. Charlotte ranks as the 18th largest city in the U.S.

"Information Builders' dashboard and predictive analytics software will allow staff at every level of the police department to deal with facts in real time. We'll be better equipped to optimally assign officers to response areas with the highest likelihood of criminal activity, resulting in reduced crime and lower operating costs," said Chief Rodney Monroe of CMPD.

Currently, CMPD relies on a highly manual process of sifting through 13 disparate crime data sources to analyze crime statistics, identify trends, and model resource allocations. Command staff recognized the need for improvement and sought funding through several federal grants. Once funding was secured, the City of Charlotte and CMPD performed an in-depth evaluation of software vendors in the marketplace via a formal procurement process. In the end, Information Builders' LEA dashboard and predictive policing solution was selected based on the technology's fit for CMPD and its successful track record in reducing crime and increasing officer efficiency, effectiveness, and safety at law enforcement agencies throughout the country.

As a result of this high-tech solution, CMPD will be better equipped to proactively fight crime with intelligent, timely, and complete information.

"Ultimately, our patrol officers will have targeted information available at their fingertips for every call to service -- reducing the element of surprise and making their jobs safer on a daily basis," said Deputy Chief Harold Medlock of CMPD.

The LEA solution will allow law enforcement professionals to analyze past crime trends and patterns; identify criminals likely to repeat offenses; predict the likelihood of particular crimes due to factors such as geographic zones, particular dates, police shifts, city events, weather, and moon phases; and monitor activity in real time to see when crime rates are down as well as when and where they may spike next.

Information Builders' customizable off-the-shelf (COTS) software automates the analytical process and provides up-to-the-minute, graphical reports to police officers directly in their patrol cars. The intelligence-led policing solution includes Web-based key performance indicators, management dashboards, interactive-mapping capabilities, predictive analytics, and data mining to spot subtle trends and predict future outcomes.

"In the field, access to real-time intelligence is critical for the police force to fight crime and enhance public safety," said Gerald Cohen, founder and CEO of Information Builders. "Our Law Enforcement Analytics solution provides a new model for proactive and predictive policing with proven results of reduced crime, resulting in safer communities."

About The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department

The goal of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department is to make Charlotte one of the safest large cities in America. To do that, it continually advances strategies that prevent crime. The CMPD looks for ways to engage the community in taking steps that help minimize opportunities for victimization. It explores appropriate policy direction with the Mayor and City Council and seeks solutions to complex community problems that contribute to crime and disorder. The 1,685 officers of the CMPD take very seriously their duty to provide citizens with professional service and work in partnership with neighborhood residents and business owners to reduce crime and increase safety. For more information, visit http://www.cmpd.org.

About Information Builders

Information Builders' award-winning combination of business intelligence and enterprise integration software has been providing innovative solutions to more than 12,000 customers for the past 30 years. WebFOCUS is the world's most widely utilized business intelligence platform. It provides the security, scalability, and flexibility needed at every level of global extended enterprises. Its simplicity helps create executive, analytical, and operational applications that reach dozens to millions of users. Information Builders' iWay Software suite provides state of the art, multi-purpose, pre-built integration components that address all SOA, application, data and information management requirements. Its integration adapters have been adopted by the leading software platform providers. Information Builders also offers solutions in the performance management, business activity monitoring, and enterprise search markets. The company's comprehensive enterprise product offerings give Information Builders' customers the ability to grow and innovate according to their needs.

Information Builders' customers include most of the Fortune 100 and U.S. federal government agencies. Headquartered in New York City with 90 offices worldwide, the company employs 1,450 people and has more than 350 business partners. More information is available at informationbuilders.com.

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Contact Information: Press Contacts Kathleen Moran Information Builders (917) 339-6313 Mari Melguizo LEWIS PR (212) 824-2677