Chicago, IL-(ENEWSPF)- Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx announced the implementation of a digital, state-of-the-art, centralized platform to streamline the collection, dissemination, and use of evidence. The goal is to improve the handling of criminal cases. Multiple agencies will be able to digitally store, manage and analyze criminal investigation evidence. This will flow to a central platform easing the administrative burden of maintaining evidence. The NICE Investigate System will benefit the office’s Felony Trial Division and each of the five suburban district courthouses. This is a software platform designed for prosecutors and law enforcement
“Each year, the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office (CCSAO) reviews more than 30,000 felony cases, and with the standard use of video to solve crimes, the volume of digital evidence associated with these cases is staggering,” said State’s Attorney Foxx. “The NICE Investigate platform will allow our office to modernize how we store and organize case evidence, using the most secure and innovative technology that will address the time it takes to get from charging a crime to trial and receiving justice for victims.”
Direct Storage and Sharing of Digital Evicence
NICE Investigate allows law enforcement, businesses, and witnesses to directly store and share audio, video, and documents from different sources, including mobile devices, social media, and CCTV cameras. The current collection processes are largely manual, requiring countless staff hours to catalog, review, and ensure disclosure during a trial. The NICE platform will streamline digital evidence handling and sharing with law enforcement and defense attorneys.
“The spread of cameras to almost every pocket, street corner, law enforcement uniform, home, and places we couldn’t even imagine ten years ago is an evidentiary blessing and a major administrative burden,” said Chief Technology and Data Officer Matthew Saniie. “Implementing the NICE Investigate System will allow us to manage better the ever-increasing amount of digital evidence we receive, build stronger cases, reduce the administrative burden on prosecutors, and deliver justice to victims and their families.”
NICE Investigate meets the highest standards of data protection, security, and compliance, including the Criminal Justice Information Services and General Data Protection Regulation requirements. The platform is currently used by major prosecutorial offices such as Nassau County (Long Island), Pierce County, WA (Tacoma), Alameda County, CA (Oakland), and Dekalb County, GA (Atlanta).
The NICE platform is part of State’s Attorney Foxx’s commitment to ensuring prosecutorial integrity in criminal cases, addressing the increased use and volume of digital evidence while also speeding up the time it takes to take cases from charging to trial, especially post-COVID shutdowns.
This is news from Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx.
