Prepared by J.E.Hilmar, King County Sheriff's Office on June 16, 1999

(revised by J.E. Hilmar on December 3, 1999)

The Goals

The regional information sharing project is a multi-agency cooperative endeavor with a number of goals. The two most important are:

1. Fostering better inter-agency communications.
2. Effective sharing of crime information bulletins so that cross-jurisdictional criminal activity may be more effectively identified and targeted for appropriate action.

How long has this project been underway?

Under the sponsorship of the King County Police Chiefs' Association, seven law enforcement and criminal justice agencies have made regional information sharing a priority. These agencies have committed staff time and resources to this project and a Regional Information Sharing Team (R.I.S.T.) has been formed. The team's first meeting was held March 3, 1999.

What agencies are participating?

Participating agencies include the Washington State Attorney General’s Office, the Bellevue Police Department (Chief Jim Montgomery), the King County Prosecutor’s Office (Norm Maleng), the King County Sheriff’s Office (Sheriff Dave Reichert), the Redmond Police Department (Chief Steve Harris), the Seattle Police Department (Chief Norm Stamper), and the Tukwila Police Department (Chief Keith Haines).

Who are the Regional Information Sharing Team members?

• Bob LaMoria & Tom Jones (Washington State Attorney General’s Office)
• Detective Greg Bean (Bellevue PD)
• Maureen Galloway (King County Prosecutor’s Office)
• Jim Hilmar, Rich Neill & Bruce Kalin (King County Sheriff’s Office)
• Howard Frazier & Tammi Johnson (Redmond PD)
• Sergeant Ron Rasmussen (Seattle PD)
• Gina Chatterson & Rosa Krows (Tukwila PD)

What has been accomplished so far?

The team is creating a central "clearinghouse" for sharing crime analysis bulletins. The system is Internet-based and makes use of powerful (yet mainstream) computer technology. Technical standards for document creation/submission are in development and as of this writing include creating original documents in Microsoft Word and converting/posting them on the site in Adobe's Portable Document Format (PDF). Standards relating to connectivity and agency participation are also being developed. The King County Sheriff's Office has been voted the interim host for the site. The "clearinghouse" has been well received by every group that has seen it including the King County Police Chiefs' Association, which voted their approval for continued development and expansion on June 10, 1999.

What's the long term vision for this project?

The crime analysis bulletin "clearinghouse" is an important first step in establishing a truly comprehensive regional information system. The vision for the system includes sharing information/data from a wide variety of sources including H.I.T.S., the Department of Corrections, the Department of Motor Vehicles, and other city and county law enforcement agencies. The Washington State Attorney General's Office is a member of the R.I.S.T. and it is anticipated that they will be the permanent host for the site. All of the agencies currently involved in this project have agreed to share in the cost of developing this system. To date, the bulk of the sharing/costs has been staff time to attend meetings and do the initial work of agreeing on document standards, developing a privacy policy, building cooperation and paving the way for the planned growth/expansion of the system. The group has discussed financial commitments/support but only in a preliminary way. It is anticipated that this will be formalized in the coming months.