Evidence Management and Computer Technology

Evidence management poses the greatest routine stress of law enforcement related activities. Missing evidence can stir the foundation of any agency along with potential career loss resulting from criminal or substandard management.

Computerizing evidence storage complements the paper trail that only adds work to an already heavily tasked property technician.

Bar code technology was adopted to allow for fast and accurate entry of articles. With scanning devices and commands attached to identify and document the direct flow of evidence, personnel had greater flexibility in setting up programs enabling query capabilities by name, case number, location, status, and descriptors to mention a few. Bar code systems greatly aid in the inventory function by increasing the speed of operations, saving budget funds and lowering liability.

A well planned records system is an essential element in order to operate an effective property control system.

Seven objectives top the list of priorities and goals to keep in mind when designing or modifying a property system.

• Document responsibilities;
  
• Establish continuous custody records;
  
• Prevent loss or unauthorized release of evidence;
  
• Document accurate descriptions of each piece of evidence and location;
  
• Document unique or unusual circumstances regarding release or transfer;
  
• Record date, purpose, and signature(s) of individuals checking property out;
  
• Document destruction, auction or any other movement of property.
  

Major deficiencies in many evidence systems are the lack of written procedures, lack of comprehensive inventory report forms, and inadequate quality control.

Computerized evidence and property control systems can generate accurate and timely management of data. Computers can track statistical data in various methods to provide justification for personnel and equipment needs during budget preparation.

There are few programs on the market that are designed to really fit the needs of law enforcement or evidence manager’s needs. Most agencies are faced with just getting by with what is out there or attempting to modify their current system to meet their standards of operation. Property personnel have been led to believe that bar coding is computerization when in essence it is an additional tool that may be considered after or in conjunction with computerization.

The initial information that is required to be entered into the system manually has created many hours being spent at the keyboard. Some agencies are spending countless hours of time duplicating these efforts. Access any and all alternatives available to aid in this time saving effort. Research alternative methods that may allow booking officers the ability to type report information into a portable computer with downloading capabilities or look into the possibility of scanning reports into the system to save time.

Most evidence rooms may not be faced with difficulty in handling the daily intake. Their main concerns may lie with case dispositions and obtaining information from courts or detectives in a timely fashion. The majority of property that is stored never gets checked out for court, analysis, investigative review, etc. but we are required to hold onto these items until a final disposition has been reached. We are scrambling to look for better ways to approach this problem and computers may be the link that can tie us all together from a State level.

The main conclusion is to build a solid foundation of formal procedures, adequate training, continuing supervisory control, and efficient property control record system. Whether you are operating in a manual paper tracking system or a computerized tracking system this foundation is the key element to properly run and manage the property evidence function.

Career in Computer Programming

As long as technology continues to develop, the demand for trained and skilled professionals in the IT sector will continue to thrive. Businesses and industries are always searching for professional programmers in departments like administration, security, and management. The growth of the Internet has seen a rise in wireless operations, networks, and client/server developments. With technology rapidly changing, the need for computer programming jobs is expected to increase to fulfill the growing demand.
As a programmer, your responsibilities evolve continuously. When choosing a computer programming degree, look for a course that is up to date with latest developments, advancements and equipment. In order to succeed, programmers need to constantly brush up their skills and knowledge in the field. Job applicants can also enhance their chances in the competitive job market by becoming certified in various languages. Many computer programming degrees also train their students for relevant certifications.
So, what exactly do computer programmers do? In short, they develop the instructions and languages that computers need to function smoothly. These functions could range from a short program to a lengthy process that could take a few years to create and implement. Programmers are also responsible for testing systems for errors and resolving issues and problems that may crop up. This process involves the use of complex technological codes or languages. Most programmers know and specialize in a variety of languages. Programmers may also be called to write manuals and instructions for other program users of a particular system or mainframe.
Many computer programmers work on a contractual basis or independently as consultants. Companies that require professionals specializing in a particular language or application may then outsource the job to computer programming consultants. Contracts could run into a few weeks to more than a year so commitment levels on such jobs are extremely demanding and high.
Programmers can be categorized into applications programmers or systems programmers. Applications programmers are those that create and modify programs for a specific purpose or cause. Systems programmers on the other hand work on a larger scale and deal with developing computer networks and operating systems. They are responsible for the effective functioning of computer hardware as well. With the rise in software packages, a new breed of software development programmers has emerged. They work with other programmers in order to create customized or packaged software such as games and other programs used for financial management and educational purposes.
Computer programmers account for nearly one and half million jobs and the numbers continue to grow. Computer programmers are required in telecommunications, management, education, the government and finance, to name a few. If a degree in computer programming is what you think you want to do, you can be sure of one thing - there's a bright and lucrative future for such candidates.

Stevens-Henager College was established in 1891 and is distinguished as one of the oldest colleges in Utah offering degree programs, both on-campus and online for Master's, Bachelor's, and Associate's Degrees. Working professionals can enhance their career and qualifications with the in-demand online degree programs offered by Stevens-Henager College.

about joomla

Built-in applications are a-plenty with this system. The blog function is quite comprehensive. Between the built-ins and the plugins Joomla! can be used to create corporate sites or portals, corporate intranets and extranets, online zines, newspapers and other publications, e-commerce and online reservations, small business sites, non-profit sites, school and church Web sites and even personal or family sites.

Joomla! applications will keep track of every piece of content on your site from text and photos to music and video.

Choose to manage menus, content, components, extensions or tools from the admin navigation bar. The text editor is self-explanatory.

Within the content tab, we choose “new article” and tried to input some text to use for the front page. It won’t let you publish or save this information unless you have first created a section(s) and category(ies) in which the content can live. It only took a few seconds to navigate back to the section and category managers in which we created, named and saved those areas.

Next we went back to the content tab and selected the article function, at which point we successfully added some text for the front page.
If you want to just blog with this program, name a section and category, then when you create an article select “front page” in the editor and your blog entries will appear in standard blog format.

Each post or article can be optimized inside the editor as well – you can enter meta data and keywords for each post.

Joomla! does not submit to blog directories for you so if you use Joomla you will have to register with the aggregator and/or directory services of your choice so your entries will be submitted to the search engines.

In this system, an Article is some written information that you want to display on your site. It normally contains some text and can contain pictures and other types of content. Sections and categories in Joomla! provide an optional method for organizing your articles. Here's how it works. A Section contains one or more categories, and each Category can have articles assigned to it. One Article can only be in one Category and Section.