Automated System Assists Stolen Property Investigations

This article discusses the use by the Vancouver, WA, Police Department of the Regional Automated Property Information Database (RAPID). The RAPID system uses software developed by Business Watch International to handle pawn, secondhand, and metal recycling dealer transactions in an attempt to track stolen property. The system acts as a central repository for all transaction data, allowing investigators to search online for a suspect or a stolen item. The RAPID system in the Northwest region is owned by the Portland Police Bureau in Portland, OR, and currently all 35 law enforcement agencies in Washington State and Oregon have signed on to use the shared system. At present, jurisdictions that use the RAPID system include California, Colorado, the District of Columbia, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Virginia.