Patent Provides Investigators New Intel on Criminal Activities
San Francisco, CA (PRWEB) January 21, 2015 -- Inmate communications leader Telmate announced the issuance of a new patent (U.S. Patent No. 8,398,054) for an automated system that verifies inmate contacts with the outside world and tracks communications that may be deemed crucial to criminal investigations.
The system, also known as “Telmate Verified,” provides a secure method for preventing possible illegal transactions or gang-related communications by verifying the identity of the caller the inmate comes in contact with. Telmate’s automated verification system relieves facility staff of a time-consuming administrative task and dramatically improves accuracy.
The automated system requires an inmate’s friend or family contacts to register their photo ID, address and phone number with a specific facility before performing any interactions with the inmate. After proof of identification is verified, friends and family are able to receive calls, deposit funds, leave a voicemail, send a written message or schedule a video visit with an inmate. If the initial information cannot be verified, a further cycle or cycles may be performed requiring additional information until the friend or family contact is positively identified.
After months of using Telmate Verified to accurately identify inmate contacts, Investigator Sergeant Detective Jamie Harris of Lake County, Indiana has discovered inmate confessions, restraining order violations, and other cover-ups. According to Harris, this type of intelligence has allowed him to reopen cold cases ranging from homicide to rape. With the high rise of jail suicides, the additional information has also helped Harris and his team prevent inmates from harming themselves.
“In the past, it would take days to get information like this,” Harris said, “but with Telmate Verified, I can do it on the fly and within minutes connect the dots to a suspect’s accomplices, partners, friends and even enemies. This tool alone has dramatically increased my productivity and improved the effectiveness of our investigations.”
According to Telmate, this robust tool gives investigators like Harris an inside look into inmate’s contacts and works as an intelligence gathering platform for law enforcement. The system allows the inmate and his contacts to input their information into a database by providing identities, current cellular and residential telephone numbers, email addresses, social security numbers and various demographical information.
“This patent is a great tool for our law enforcement partners to be able to think beyond the current evidence they have at hand,” said Telmate Chief Marketing Officer, Jeff Hansen. “This added information is key to any facility operations or investigative team, because no matter what interaction an inmate has with a member of the public -- from deposits, phone calls, visits or other communication -- facilities now know exactly who’s interacting with who, every time, all the time.”
For more information about Telmate, visit http://www.telmate.com.
JoAnn De Jesus, Telmate, LLC, +1 (415) 300-4315, [email protected]
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