LAKEWOOD – The Colorado Bureau of Investigation's electronic information warehouse is prone to malfunctions, making it harder for police officers to do their jobs safely.
Most recently, the system was inoperable from 2 p.m. Tuesday until 4:30 p.m. Wednesday. During that time, police officers statewide were unable to access the system, known as the Colorado Crime Information Center (CCIC), when approaching potentially dangerous individuals.
The CCIC includes information on outstanding warrants, criminal histories, gang affiliations, stolen property, and even missing children.
'We have problems frequently," said CBI spokesman Lance Klem. "Usually, they don't last this long."
Several law enforcement officers say it's not unusual for the CCIC database to be unavailable several times a week. Klem did not dispute that characterization of the trouble-plagued computer database.
"It really has been outdated for a long time," he said.
Klem admits when the system crashes, it can pose a threat to officers' safety.
The CBI Web site says the CCIC allows local law enforcement, district attorneys, the Colorado State Patrol, jails and sheriffs to communicate effectively. Without the system, the Website says, "they would be handicapped in their effort to identify repeat offenders, fugitives, habitual traffic law violators, missing children and stolen property."
"[The system] is about as important as it gets," Klem said.
When CCIC is down, officers in the field and dispatchers must make multiple calls to different jurisdictions to track down warrants and drivers license information on a suspect, a more time-consuming and less-reliable process than using the computerized database.
Numerous law enforcement agencies declined to discuss how they deal with CCIS problems, several citing officer safety concerns.
9NEWS asked Klem if wanted fugitives had escaped capture because of gaps in the database's operation.
"I don't think there has been any situation of critical consequence," he said.
Asked if the CBI would know of such a near-capture if it had happened, Klem said, "Sure we would. We would hear about it."
Klem acknowledged there is no good substitute for a working database.
"There's no practical way to get around this problem," he said. "This is something that has to be fixed permanently and that's what we're working to do."
Klem says the Colorado Legislature appropriated several million dollars last year to remedy the problem with CCIS, but that fix will take three years to complete.
Until then, Klem says, computer technicians are on-call day and night to repair the database.
He said that during the Democratic National Convention in August, when security concerns will be high, the CBI will have technicians stationed right next to the computer database around the clock.
Most recently, the system was inoperable from 2 p.m. Tuesday until 4:30 p.m. Wednesday. During that time, police officers statewide were unable to access the system, known as the Colorado Crime Information Center (CCIC), when approaching potentially dangerous individuals.
The CCIC includes information on outstanding warrants, criminal histories, gang affiliations, stolen property, and even missing children.
'We have problems frequently," said CBI spokesman Lance Klem. "Usually, they don't last this long."
Several law enforcement officers say it's not unusual for the CCIC database to be unavailable several times a week. Klem did not dispute that characterization of the trouble-plagued computer database.
"It really has been outdated for a long time," he said.
Klem admits when the system crashes, it can pose a threat to officers' safety.
The CBI Web site says the CCIC allows local law enforcement, district attorneys, the Colorado State Patrol, jails and sheriffs to communicate effectively. Without the system, the Website says, "they would be handicapped in their effort to identify repeat offenders, fugitives, habitual traffic law violators, missing children and stolen property."
"[The system] is about as important as it gets," Klem said.
When CCIC is down, officers in the field and dispatchers must make multiple calls to different jurisdictions to track down warrants and drivers license information on a suspect, a more time-consuming and less-reliable process than using the computerized database.
Numerous law enforcement agencies declined to discuss how they deal with CCIS problems, several citing officer safety concerns.
9NEWS asked Klem if wanted fugitives had escaped capture because of gaps in the database's operation.
"I don't think there has been any situation of critical consequence," he said.
Asked if the CBI would know of such a near-capture if it had happened, Klem said, "Sure we would. We would hear about it."
Klem acknowledged there is no good substitute for a working database.
"There's no practical way to get around this problem," he said. "This is something that has to be fixed permanently and that's what we're working to do."
Klem says the Colorado Legislature appropriated several million dollars last year to remedy the problem with CCIS, but that fix will take three years to complete.
Until then, Klem says, computer technicians are on-call day and night to repair the database.
He said that during the Democratic National Convention in August, when security concerns will be high, the CBI will have technicians stationed right next to the computer database around the clock.
