04:38 PM EDT on Tuesday, October 11, 2005

Reported by: Craig Civale

25 local law enforcement groups are joining forces to fight crime. Their new weapon is LINX, which links their police reports and records.

Virginia is just the second state using the LINX system. The Law Enforcement Information Exchange calls up every report, arrest or investigation and even the officer’s notes. It saves a lot of time. No longer do police have to use the phone, wait for return calls, and other time-consuming things.

"If a report was taken or not enough evidence to arrest the individual but the report is still there, from that you can develop a history and develop your suspects,” explained Lt. Kurt Beach with the Smithfield Police Dept.

The database is always growing.  Currently LINX has more than 12 million records and a quarter million photographs.

It can help fight crime in small towns and large, but it also has built-in flags to keep track of potential terrorists.

"We have a number of key and national assets to protect.  This program is going to make me sleep a whole lot better at night," added RADM Steve Turcotte, Commander, Navy Mid-Atlantic Region.

Officers credit LINX with helping solve several cases recently, including finding a woman accused of dealing credit card checks from post office trashcans across Hampton Roads.

Gloria Byars was captured when investigators put one of her nicknames into the system.

"It means arrests, it means getting the person as quickly as possible to eliminate other crimes," Lt. Beach noted.