In Virginia Beach, computer maps may help officers link neighborhood break-ins to suspects living in that area. And Portsmouth officers might use software to calculate where criminals might strike next. Law officials say these advances could arrive by next year, along with a new computer link among Hampton Roads police departments that will help police officers compare notes to find roaming suspects. But he said technology, including Geographic Information Systems, that can layer reams of information onto computer maps, allows departments to bypass hours of work to develop trends and find suspects. Police stuck pins in maps to follow sprees and sorted through punch cards to find suspects.
Some crooks prefer only neighborhood drug stores.
Daniel W. Everton said. Local departments have already laid the groundwork for new crime-fighting techniques. Two years ago, the Portsmouth, Virginia Beach and Norfolk departments updated their computer systems, allowing them to handle more information and to work with the software that can sort it faster. On the other end, Suffolk, Chesapeake and Portsmouth police are getting laptop computers, which they can use to enter reports immediately into the system, sharing details of crimes almost as they happen. Suffolk is working now to upgrade its system.