HSFA launches National Terrorism and Crime Prevention Database

The Atlanta, GA-based Homeland Security Foundation of America has launched RubyWATCH, a national terrorism and crime prevention database that also functions as a tip line for citizens.

HSFA, a non-profit, describes RubyWATCH as Web-based and built on technology developed for HSFA's project STAN, or Strategic Terrorism Analysis Network, which uses artificial intelligence to “simulate patterns of behavior and tactics of terrorists.”

HSFA says RubyWATCH enables “citizens to join the fight against terrorists and criminals from the safety of their homes.”

HSFA also reiterates its support for privacy protection and preserving civil liberties, and adds that RubyWATCH “restricts all tipsters' input to non-sensitive data," and its Anonymous Tip Submission Standard “ranks at the top of the list of ‘must have’ features for any tipster system.”

According to HSFA, the system “accepts nearly any combination of search parameters, including the date a tip was submitted, descriptions of persons and vehicles, behaviors, location types, names and more.”
Authorities also can “post bulletins that direct tips to a specific investigation, property or person of interest.”

“Law enforcement's already taking tips via email, which frankly some messages are simply hard to make out,” Eric Brown, president of HSFA, said in a statement. “We're offering a system that can improve the accuracy of tips received and add significant value at no cost to the agency. With citizens and neighborhood watch groups taking advantage of RubyWATCH, I'm confident investigators will find using the reporting system more efficient than sifting through emails. Whether you're campus police using the system to identify trends or Border Patrol tracking suspicious vehicles that come into the country, RubyWATCH can be a very effective tool in the right hands."


RubyWATCH, which will be provided free of charge to all government agencies and officials, state licensed private detectives and security agencies, and other HSFA authorized users, can be accessed by visiting http://rubywatch.hsfamerica.org.

Source: http://www.gsnmagazine.com/article/20099/hsfa_launches_rubywatch