SYRACUSE -ÊQuick and easy.

That's two words Syracuse Police Officer Bill Van Vactor uses to describe the new Indiana Data and Communications System, which is linked to the National Crime Information Center, at the Syracuse Police Department dispatch. Van Vactor is the coordinator for the new system.

The system went on-line Feb. 12 at 8:45 a.m. and provides driver and criminal information to the department from the state almost instantaneously.

"The average traffic stop will be cut in half," Van Vactor said.

He said the usual traffic stop used to take 20 minutes. Now, a stop is only six minutes with IDACS. The system saves time because Syracuse dispatch is patched in directly to the state instead of having to go through the Kosciusko County Sheriff's Department.

On a routine traffic stop, the officer calls the driver's license and vehicle license plate numbers in to the dispatcher. The dispatcher types the information into the computer and instantly receives information back from the state, and the dispatcher relays it back to the patrol officer. The information includes active warrants on the driver, if any, points on the driver's record and whether or not the vehicle is stolen.

"We can get their entire driving license history," Van Vactor said.

IDACS/NCIC can also provide information on stolen property and missing persons. Van Vactor said within five minutes of a missing persons report, any police department on the system in the United States can receive the information.

"It helps to locate them a lot quicker," he said.

SPD has worked on getting the system up and running for the last year and a half. Police Chief William Endler purchased new equipment for the system. Dispatchers were trained Feb. 10, 11 and 12. They were tested, and all passed, on the 12th. There are four full-time and five part-time dispatchers at SPD. Van Vactor went through his coordinator training Feb. 8.

"Only a certified operator can be on the system," Van Vactor said. He said the public is not allowed to know any information provided on the system, except road and weather conditions. The system is limited to Syracuse officers only. Van Vactor said the state is very tight on security.

Warsaw Police Department and KCSD both have IDACS and NCIC in place.

"It was unusual for us not to have one. Ninety percent of 24-hour dispatches throughout the state have them," Van Vactor said.

"We've got communications now with any police department in the United States," he said.

The system helped the Syracuse Police Department to find and arrest a female fugitive Friday. The suspect was living in Syracuse and wanted on a probation violation out of Texas.

As coordinator, Van Vactor's job includes auditing the system. He reports to the state why a search was performed on IDACS-NCIC and what was performed. [[In-content Ad]]