One of the most important tools that the dispatcher uses is the TLETS system. This system is connected to the Texas Crime Information Center (TCIC) and the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) systems, which allow the dispatchers to access information from not only Texas, but anywhere around the country as well as Canada and Mexico.
In addition to using the system to check for stolen and wanted persons or items, the system is also utilized to enter them.
If, for instance, a car is stolen in Jersey Village, an officer will take a stolen vehicle report and get the information about the car. The officer will then pass the information on to the dispatcher who will enter the car stolen.
After a car is entered stolen into the system, any law enforcement agency that comes into contact with it can check it in the computer system and a message will be displayed alerting them that the car has been reported stolen by the Jersey Village Police Department.
The system does not check just for individuals that are wanted for something of a criminal nature, it is also the system that is used to enter and locate missing persons. The supervisor over communications is charged with making sure that all records entered into the computer are accounted for and does so with a monthly validation, which is sent to the Department of Public Safety. The Department of Public Safety is the agency for Texas that oversees all aspects of the TLETS system, and should any of the dispatchers have a question or a problem with the system, they are trained to help resolve the problem/question.