, the Lansing Police Department selected the BWI Automated Reporting System to serve as it pawn and used-goods reporting and investigations technology.
Like most law enforcement agencies across North American, the Lansing, Michigan PD has been pursuing an alternative to the hardcopy reporting method currently in place for all pawnshops and used goods businesses in that jurisdiction. Over the course of six months, the alternatives were investigated and the Lansing PD concluded that the Business Watch system was the most suitable solution as a local and regional transaction reporting repository.
Although alternatives were explored, the Lansing PD wanted a system that was designed to offer the following:
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Scalability so that outlying law enforcement jurisdictions and businesses could avail of the technology in order to realize a truly "multi-county" system.
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A comprehensive point-of-sale component to the system to facilitate the reporting of transactions in real-time from the businesses to the police.
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Customers of the pawn shops or used goods businesses are assessed a modest transaction registration fee to fund the system
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A comprehensive police tool to facilitate the investigations concerning stolen property
Mandatory use of the system by the effected businesses is scheduled for December 31st, 2003. BWI has commenced training a number of businesses and police officers. Additional on-site training will occur later this fall.
