Active Warrant Alert Calendar System (AWACS)

About the Program

Category: Information Technology (Best in Category)

Year: 2009

In 2008, Lee County initiated a very high profile initiative, the Active Warrant Alert Calendaring System (AWACS). It was launched as a pilot project based on a directive from Florida Governor Charlie Crist. AWACS offers tremendous benefits to the courts and law enforcement agencies by providing increased efficiency, accuracy, and consistency in searching for active warrants on those defendants that are scheduled for any criminal court appearance. The Florida Supreme Court created the Judicial Inquiry System to disseminate information from many state agencies through a single sign-on and simple query. JIS provides the conduit to 13 disparate databases. The application presently returns data from sources such as FDLE, FCIC, DHSMV, and others. Where applicable, alerts are attached to respective defendants’ names. This alert flags those defendants for special review by the agency that has instigated the query.