The consortium focuses on using IT to improve law enforcement and public safety.

Systems like the one the LAPD is installing will also become critical in creating regional systems for sharing information among law enforcement agencies, Harris added. Efforts to develop such systems are already under way in some states, she said.

The Memex system includes a hybrid relational and open text search database paired with an intelligence engine that compresses data.

Those tools allow users who may not be sure where the data is housed to quickly search multiple databases simultaneously, said Mike Himley, general manager of Vienna, Va.-based Memex's western region.

Memex, which specializes in analysis tools for law enforcement and intelligence agencies, is installing a similar system for the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Identification & Investigation. That system is due to be completed during the first quarter.