Fergie's Tech Blog

Computer Gremlins Knock LAPD Crime-Mapping Offline

Via The Los Angeles Times "L.A. Now" Blog.

One of the cornerstones of Chief William J. Bratton's tenure at the Los Angeles Police Department has been Compstat, the computerized crime-tracking program that allows officials to quickly shift resources to deal with problems arising across the city.

But since Monday, a computer crash has rendered the crime-mapping system inoperable, resulting in a breakdown of the department's ability to analyze crime data. Officials familiar with the system, known as computer analysis mapping or CAM, said it was the longest breakdown since the system was introduced in 2003.

LAPD spokesman Jason Lee said department techs would work through the weekend to fix the problem as quickly as possible. The breakdown is the latest in a series of technical issues that have beset LAPD computer servers, he said.

"We have had intermittent glitches the last two months, but the system was operational," Lee said. "This time there was a full shutdown."

posted by Fergie @ 4/17/2009 07:22:00 PM