The Crime Fighter BEAST
Integrated Evidence Tracking Systems for Police Departments and Crime Laboratories.

Product Information:
The Crime Fighter BEAST (Bar Coded Evidence Analysis Statistics and Tracking) software program provides Forensic Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) for crime labs and Evidence Management System (EMS) for police agencies. The products are integrated with Symbol Technologies PDF417 bar code to speed evidence check-in. User defined Report Wizards are included to assist in report writing and statistical data analysis. Database information may be stored on Oracle servers. Porter Lee Corporation provides Software, Hardware, Installation, Training, and Support.

Company Background/Growth History:
Porter Lee Corporation started development in 1995 of a new generation of evidence management products for Police Agencies and Crime Labs. Mike Evans and Tim Smith were contracted by the Northern Illinois Police Crime Lab (NIPCL)  to develop software that would satisfy ASCLD (American Society of Crime Lab Directors) requirements for Crime Labs. A large part of evidence handling at the Crime Lab occurs in the evidence receiving room. Using PDF417 barcodes for data transfer allows the application to maintain a seamless chain of custody record which includes the police property room history while each item is online  with the Crime Lab. The overall goal was adjusted for the initial contract, with the direction of Dr. Jane Homeyer, then the director of NIPCL. 

NIPCL supports 43 police departments in the northern area of Chicago. These departments are members of the lab by choice and pay for the superior service, that the state lab is unable to provide. Over half of the departments elected to purchase the police property room management program to get online with the Lab. This created an installed base in our local area to direct the growth of our product. These departments ranged in size from 20 officers to over 500. 

Porter Lee Corporation started marketing the products across the United States and even acquired several international customers. We have been very careful in growing the business at a manageable pace that has enabled our customers to remain loyal.  Our present user community includes over 300 Police Departments and over 70 Forensic Crime Laboratories.

We continue to see a growth in this industry. Many states are requiring forensic lab operations to be accredited by ASCLD/LAB. ASCLD/LAB requires a level of evidence handling and reporting, which leads our customers to bar coding. We still remain the only provider of an evidence management system that can bar code evidence at the scene, track it through the property room, to the crime lab, and back to the final disposition. 

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