System and method for crime investigation

A system for computer-enabled crime investigation, the system comprising:

• a network of client computers that are located at stores of a chain of stores;
• a record database storing records of crimes committed at the stores, wherein each record of a crime comprises details of the crime, a location of the crime, and identifying information of a suspect of the crime;
• and
• a central server that is in communication with the record database and the network of client computers, wherein a processor of the central server is configured by software instructions to:
• receive a crime report from one of the client computers, the crime report;
• create a record of the crime in the record database;
• compute a search area based on the location of the crime;
• perform a historic search for the suspect, wherein the historic search comprises:
• searching for the suspect in surveillance data collected at the stores within the search area;
• determining, based on the search, (i) times and locations that the suspect was observed and (ii) other identifying information of the suspect, and
• updating the record to include (i) the times and locations and (ii) the other identifying information;
• performing an active search for the suspect, wherein the active search comprises:
• creating a be-on-the-look-out (BOLO) alert comprising the identifying information of the suspect obtained from the record,
• transmitting the BOLO alert to all client computers within the search area,
• monitoring the client computers in the search area for a responses to the BOLO alert, wherein the responses to the BOLO alert include recent locations that the suspect was observed, and
• updating the search area based on the responses to the BOLO alert;
• and
• repeat the historic search and the active search until the BOLO alert is closed or until the historic search and the active search return no results for a period.

A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon instructions for computer-enabled crime investigation, that when executed by a central server that is in communication with a record database and a network of client computers at store locations, direct the central server to:

• receive a crime report from one of the client computers, the crime report comprising details of a crime, a location of the crime, and identifying information of a suspect of the crime;
• create a record of the crime in the record database;
• compute a search area based on the location of the crime;
• perform a historic search for the suspect, wherein the historic search comprises:
• searching for the suspect in surveillance data collected at store locations within the search area;
• determining, based on the search, (i) times and locations that the suspect was observed and (ii) other identifying information of the suspect, and
• updating the record to include (i) the times and locations and (ii) the other identifying information;
• perform an active search for the suspect, wherein the active search comprises:
• creating a be-on-the-look-out (BOLO) alert comprising the identifying information of the suspect obtained from the record,
• transmitting the BOLO alert to all client computers within the search area,
• monitoring the client computers in the search area for a responses to the BOLO alert, wherein the responses to the BOLO alert include recent locations that the suspect was observed, and
• updating the search area based on the responses to the BOLO alert;
• and
• repeating the historic search and the active search until the BOLO alert is closed or until the historic search and the active searches return no results for a period.