Help

Welcome

Crime Board is a digital investigation board. You place evidence cards on the glass workspace—people, vehicles, weapons, photos, documents—and connect related items with colored string lines. You can add sticky notes and headings. Everything you work on belongs to one case file; the case number in the left sidebar tells you which file is open.

Many chapters below include a short walkthrough video you can play next to the written steps.

Sign-in

Your agency may run Crime Board without logins, or it may require sign-in. When sign-in is on, you only see cases your account is allowed to open—often cases you created plus cases someone has shared with you.

• New account — If your administrator turned this on, use Request account on the sign-in screen and follow the steps. Your agency may require an email verification code, or may let you choose a password and sign in right after submitting (when automatic approval is also enabled).
• Forgot your password — Use Forgot password on the sign-in screen. Answer the three security questions you set the first time you signed in, then choose a new password. This works for investigator accounts and the built-in ArchAngel1429 account once that account has completed security-question setup.
• After sign-in — Crime Board opens a Choose a case to open list. Click a case to load it, or choose Start a new case for a blank board. Administrators also see an Admin button on that picker (same as the toolbar) to open the Admin Control Panel without loading a case first. Under Preferences you may see Change Password and Change Security Questions. Treat your login like any work system: don’t share it; user names and passwords are usually case-sensitive.
• Administrator recovery — The ArchAngel1429 account is prompted for the same three security questions on first sign-in (or the next sign-in if they were never set). After that, use Forgot password with username ArchAngel1429 just like any other account. Keep those answers somewhere secure for your agency; without them, only a database-level reset can restore administrator access.
• Startup announcement — In Admin → Settings, administrators can enable a pop-up message that appears every time Crime Board starts. The dialog shows an information icon and stays open until the investigator clicks OK.
• Phones — Crime Board cannot be opened on a phone (the portal blocks it and shows a message; a direct link also blocks with a return to Investigative Tools). The Missing and Cryptography use a phone-friendly layout on small screens. Sketch Pad detects phones and opens a dedicated touch layout (/sketch-pad/m/); use Desktop layout at the bottom of the touch UI if you prefer the full desktop interface.
• Investigative Tools portal admin — On the portal homepage, the lock icon opens portal admin using the same Crime Board administrator username and password. Change that password only in Crime Board; it then applies to every lock modal. Forgot password is only available on the Crime Board sign-in screen.

Display settings

You can change how Crime Board looks on your monitor. Open Preferences → Display Settings, or press Ctrl+, (⌘+, on a Mac). The same window opens whether you use the menu or the shortcut. When you are signed in, these choices are saved to your account and stay the same across cases until you change them again.

Board surface

• Glass — Frosted “smoked glass” look (the default, and the style used in most pictures in this help article).
• Cork — Classic bulletin-board texture.
• Plain — Solid color background you pick.

Colors & chrome

Adjust the top toolbar, sidebar gradients, accent highlights, board title colors, and related options. New boards start with the organization display style Smoked Glass when that catalog entry exists (otherwise Modern Glass chrome and the Glass board). Use Reset appearance defaults inside the dialog when you want to return to the built-in theme for the style you selected.

Optional Long-hover zoom enlarges a card or sticky note after you hold the pointer still for a configurable delay (1–3 seconds in 0.5 s steps) and zoom percent. Useful on dense boards; turn it off if you prefer a static layout.

Dropdown fields on cards

Person, vehicle, and weapon cards include dropdown lists (race, ID type, vehicle make, colors, calibers, and so on). Those lists are shared across your entire deployment so everyone uses consistent terminology. As an investigator you choose values from the lists; if an option you need is missing, ask your Crime Board coordinator or supervisor to add it through your agency’s administrative process.

Main Window & Menus

The Crime Board window is built from the top down: a thin area for status banners (when needed), then the menu bar, then the toolbar, then the Case File sidebar on the left and the board in the center. The figures below use the default Modern Glass chrome and Glass board surface (smoked-glass look) so you can match what you see on screen.

Menu bar — top-level headings

Click a heading to open its dropdown. Your administrator may hide or rename items; this table reflects the full default set.

• Case File sidebar (left) — Case number, roster of cards, photos, and linked cases.
• Board (center) — The glass board workspace (smoked-glass panel); the layout scales to fit your window.
• Toolbar — New / Load / Save / Print, add card types, string-line mode, Case Info, Instant Messaging (when enabled), Settings (gear), and Admin when you have admin rights.

Starting a Case

Begin the investigation on the board

Starting a case — create a card and place it.

Treat the Case File sidebar as the folder label and the board as the wall: first give the case a number, then add cards from the toolbar, then drag each card to a sensible spot (for example persons in one area, vehicles in another, documents near the timeline or narrative you are building).

Cases & Saving

Case number

The sidebar case number identifies the file in the application’s database. Enter or confirm it before you rely on load or save. The app may remember your last case in the browser and offer to reopen it when you start.

New, load, save, delete

• New case — Saves the current board, then (after confirmation) starts a blank case. Toolbar New case or File → New Case (Ctrl+N).
• Load case — Opens a list of cases you can open (and offers Start a new case). If another case is already open, you confirm before switching; if nothing is open yet (for example right after sign-in), the chosen case loads immediately. Load case on the toolbar or File → Open Case (Ctrl+O).
• Save case — Stores the full board under the current case number. Save case or File → Save Case (Ctrl+S).
• Delete case — Removes the current case after confirmations. Use only when destruction is intended.

Auto-save

While connected to the application service, changes usually save automatically shortly after you stop typing. Manual Save case still gives a clear confirmation.

Linked cases

In the sidebar you can link this case to other case numbers (related files). Links save with the case.

Read-Only Cases

Your account may open a case in read-only mode. Common examples: an organization sample case that only administrators may edit, or a case file where someone else is the lead investigator and your access is view-only. Read-only is enforced by the server; the interface mirrors that by disabling save actions instead of hiding them.

Visual cues (what to look for)

1. READ ONLY — Centered at the very top of the application window, in bold red capital letters. This strip appears whenever the current case is read-only for your account.
2. Information banner — Directly below that (when applicable), a short explanation may describe whether you are on the shared sample case or another view-only file.
3. Save Case — On the toolbar, the floppy-disk Save icon stays visible but is grayed out and does nothing when clicked. In the menu bar, open File; Save Case is listed but grayed out the same way. Keyboard shortcut Ctrl+S does not save in this mode.

What you can still do

• Pan and zoom the board layout (within what your deployment allows).
• Open card editors to review fields, photos, PDFs, and narrative sections.
• Use Tools windows such as Search (results can include cases in the database even when you cannot open them yet).
• Print or export images according to your permissions — if a command would change stored case data, it stays disabled the same way as Save.

If you need edit access

Contact your Crime Board administrator or supervisory chain. Only someone with the right role can transfer ownership, grant edit access, or adjust the sample-case policy for your agency.

Case Info

Case Info is the official header for the case file you have open. It stores the case number, incident details, reporting party, investigator information, and classifications that print on investigative reports and feed tools such as Case Map.

Open Case Info

• Toolbar — Click Case Info (clipboard list icon) in the board toolbar.
• Menu — Add → Case Information opens the same window.
• Close with Done, the × control, Esc, or by clicking outside the dialog.

Case number

The case number sits in the title bar of the Case Info window. Type your agency’s number or label, then press Enter or click away so the value is committed. Set this before you rely on save and load so the file is stored under the correct identifier.

• After the case is saved, only the investigator who created the file (or an administrator) can rename the number; others see it read-only.
• The same number appears in the Case File sidebar header; see Sidebar for how that display behaves.

Incident location(s)

Add one or more free-text lines (address or description) with Add location. Use the trash control beside a row to remove it. Locations are used on printed reports and can appear as pins on the Case Map when geocoding is available.

Incident date & time

Use the Date and Time pickers for when the incident occurred. These values are saved with the case and can appear on printed output.

Reporting party

Enter the caller or complainant Name, Address, and Phone number. The map may match the reporting-party address to person cards when addresses are formatted similarly.

Scene, supervisor, and investigator

• Scene secured by — Who secured the scene.
• Supervisor — Supervisory contact for the file.
• Investigating officer, Title / Rank, and Badge number — Lead investigator details for reports.

Incident classification

Choose up to two incident types from the checklist your administrator maintains (Admin → General Info). If no options appear, ask your coordinator to add classifications for your deployment.

Case Notes

Case Notes is your scratch pad and checklist for the whole case—not tied to one evidence card. Use it for phone messages, interview reminders, lab follow-ups, or anything you want every investigator on the file to see in one place.

How to open it: Tools → Case Notes, the Case Notes button on the toolbar, or Add → Case Notes from the menu bar—whichever your screen shows. Type or paste like any document; your changes are saved when you Save case or when the app auto-saves.

• Searching your notes: A Keyword search (see Search) can find text you saved here, along with other case text.
• Privacy & policy: Follow your agency’s rules for sensitive information (HIPAA and similar). Don’t put protected data in Case Notes unless your procedures allow it.

Case Narrative

Case Narrative is where you tell the investigation story in plain language—a running account of dates, interviews, discoveries, and next steps as the case unfolds. Think of it as the “everything that happened” write-up for the file, separate from quick reminders in Case Notes.

How to open it: Click Narrative on the toolbar (wording may match your deployment), or use the menu path your administrator assigned. It opens in its own window so you can keep the board in view.

Saving: Narrative text is saved with the case—same as Case Notes—when you save the file or auto-save runs. You don’t have to paste it onto a card; keyword search looks here too when you run a Keyword search.

Board Layout and Arranging

Navigation & Arranging the Board

• The board resizes automatically when you resize the browser window. There isn’t a separate zoom slider—if the view feels off, try Tools → Reset view or the toolbar’s reset control to snap everything back into view.
• When cards overlap, click the one you want; it comes to the front.
• Drag cards to organize them. You can open any card either from the board or from its name in the sidebar list.

Case title

Double-click the large title strip on the board to open Board title. From there you can change the wording, choose a display style, and set what appears at the top of your workspace while you work this case.

People Cards

Overview

A People card holds one person involved in the case—officer, suspect, victim, witness, or another role you pick. On the board you may see a small “Polaroid” summary with a photo, name, and date of birth until you open the full form. You can attach one primary photo per card from the picker; if you select several images at once, the first pick becomes that main photo.

Print this card

Use the printer icon on the card's top strip while the card is on the board, or in the card editor's title bar.

Delete this card

Open the card editor and use the trash / delete control (usually beside close and print on the modal header). Confirm if prompted. You can also select the card on the board and press the Delete key where your deployment supports it. Removal is not permanent until you Save case (or auto-save runs).

Vehicle Cards

Overview

Capture vehicle details—make, model, plate, color, VIN, and whatever else your deployment includes—in one place so you can string it to people, scenes, or evidence. Photo rules match people cards: one main image; if you grab several files at once, the first becomes the thumbnail.

Print this card

Use the printer icon on the card's top strip while the card is on the board, or in the card editor's title bar.

Delete this card

Open the card editor and use the trash / delete control (usually beside close and print on the modal header). Confirm if prompted. You can also select the card on the board and press the Delete key where your deployment supports it. Removal is not permanent until you Save case (or auto-save runs).

Weapon Cards

Overview

Record firearms, knives, or other weapons with serial number, make, model, caliber or type, and finish options your administrator configures. Use this card anytime the item itself is central to the timeline—strings can tie it back to suspects, vehicles, or reports.

Print this card

Use the printer icon on the card's top strip while the card is on the board, or in the card editor's title bar.

Delete this card

Open the card editor and use the trash / delete control (usually beside close and print on the modal header). Confirm if prompted. You can also select the card on the board and press the Delete key where your deployment supports it. Removal is not permanent until you Save case (or auto-save runs).

Crime Scene Photos

Overview

One or more images per card; use Add photos… and select multiple files at once in the file picker.

Print this card

Use the printer icon on the card's top strip while the card is on the board, or in the card editor's title bar. For these card types, one print job includes every photo attached to that card.

Delete this card

Open the card editor and use the trash / delete control (usually beside close and print on the modal header). Confirm if prompted. You can also select the card on the board and press the Delete key where your deployment supports it. Removal is not permanent until you Save case (or auto-save runs).

Document Cards

Overview

PDF attachment with description and metadata (size limits depend on deployment).

Print this card

Use the printer icon on the card's top strip while the card is on the board, or in the card editor's title bar. PDFs and similar attachments use the document layout; use the same printer control on the card strip or editor title bar.

Delete this card

Open the card editor and use the trash / delete control (usually beside close and print on the modal header). Confirm if prompted. You can also select the card on the board and press the Delete key where your deployment supports it. Removal is not permanent until you Save case (or auto-save runs).

Image Cards

Overview

Standalone image cards accept PNG only. Use Add images… and select multiple files at once when needed.

Print this card

Use the printer icon on the card's top strip while the card is on the board, or in the card editor's title bar. For these card types, one print job includes every photo attached to that card.

Delete this card

Open the card editor and use the trash / delete control (usually beside close and print on the modal header). Confirm if prompted. You can also select the card on the board and press the Delete key where your deployment supports it. Removal is not permanent until you Save case (or auto-save runs).

Media Files (mp3 & mp4)

Media file cards hold a single uploaded MP3 (audio) or MP4 (video) per card. Add one from the toolbar’s Media file button or from Add → Media File, then double-click the new card to open the editor, choose the media type, and upload the file.

1. Create the card and choose video or audio

In the card editor, the Media type control is a dropdown with exactly two choices: Audio file (MP3) and Video file (MP4). Pick this before you rely on the upload button: switching between audio and video clears any file already attached so the category always matches the asset.

• MP3 — Up to 80 MB. The file picker only accepts MPEG audio / .mp3.
• MP4 — Up to 120 MB. The file picker only accepts MP4 video / .mp4.

Click Upload… (or Replace file… when something is already attached) to choose a file from your computer. The app stores the media in the case database. Use Remove file to detach it without deleting the card. Set an optional Title and Description, then save the case like any other card.

2. Play from the board or from the editor

On the board, the card shows an MP3 or MP4-style badge when it can tell the format from the file name. The main button is Play media (enabled after a file is attached). That opens a playback window with the same custom controls as in the editor: the app does not rely on the browser’s default video skin.

• Video — You see the picture in a black-framed area. Use Play / Pause, Stop, the seek slider, and time readouts (current and duration). Full screen expands the player; choose Default size to leave full screen.
• Audio — There is no video surface; you still get Play, Stop, seek, and times. Screenshot and Full screen are only for video.

In the card editor, the player sits directly under the upload row so you can preview before closing the card.

3. Save a screenshot from video (PNG)

Screenshot captures the frame at the current playhead. It is available for video only, and the button stays disabled while the video is playing—pause first (the control’s tooltip says to pause before taking a screenshot). If you were in full-screen video, the app exits full screen first so the dialog can appear.

1. Pause on the frame you want.
2. Click Screenshot.
3. In Screenshot preview, the left side shows the image. The right side sets options: Embed case information? (Yes / No). When Yes, a white caption box is drawn on the image at the Embed location you pick from the dropdown: Top Left, Top Right, Bottom Left, or Bottom Right. The embedded lines list the case number, media title, total video length, and the screenshot timecode.
4. Click Save PNG. Browsers that support the file-picker API open a Save dialog with a suggested file name such as CASENUM-TITLE - 42s.png. Otherwise the file downloads with that name. Use Cancel or Close to leave without saving.

For the Case # line inside the embedded caption to match your file, take the screenshot from the card editor (after saving a case number) or ensure the player was opened with full case context. If that line appears as an em dash (—), switch to the editor, pause on the frame, and use Screenshot there.

Sticky Notes

Note cards are yellow sticky–style annotations on the board. Add one from the toolbar Note control or Add → Note.

• Double-click a note on the board to edit its text; drag the header to move it.
• Notes are included in keyword Search when scanning case text.

Print

Use the card’s printer icon (board strip or editor title bar) to print just that note.

Delete

Open the note and remove it using the editor’s delete/trash control; confirm if prompted. Save the case so the removal persists.

String Lines

String lines link two cards with a label, like thread between pushpins.

Where each string attaches on a card

The ends of a string do not float freely on the card face. Each connector snaps to preset anchor points on the card frame: all four corners, plus three evenly spaced points along every edge between those corners (sixteen attachment positions in total). After a link exists, drag an endpoint along the card edge; it jumps between those anchors so you can place the string at a corner, along a side, or another legal spot without moving the card.

1. Turn on String lines in the toolbar.
2. Optional: choose line color and width before drawing new links.
3. Click a first card, then a second; enter the link label (for example “Seen together” or “Registered owner”).
4. Select a line and use Cut string to remove it.

Turning off string mode cancels a half-finished link.

String Colors & Evidence Links

The text you type on a string line is just a label for humans to read—it does not, by itself, tell Crime Board how cards are tied together on reports. Behind the scenes, the app treats each drawn string line as a link between two cards.

Which links “belong together” follows one strict rule: strings must be the exact same stroke color to count as steps on one path (same RGB/hex—“almost the same tan” counts as different). Strings in different colors behave like branches on separate maps—they never merge into one chain.

Exact path-walking rule

1. Start on a person, vehicle, or weapon card and consider only string segments whose stroke color exactly equals the color you care about (RGBA / hex match — changing shade slightly creates a new color identity for the algorithm).
2. Traverse from that card along matching-color segments only. If you can reach another card by moving across intermediates (Person A → brown string → Document → brown string → Vehicle B), Person A and Vehicle B are on the same color component.
3. If anywhere along the intended chain you draw a segment in another color, you have split the graph: those two subgraphs do not merge. The app does not blend or average colors; “close enough” does not count.
4. Changing a line’s color after the fact rewires membership: the segment moves to a different color component and can connect or disconnect hits in Linked to and printed reports immediately after save.

What appears in Linked to (by card kind)

• Person cards — Lists other card types reached on same-color paths (vehicles, weapons, documents, scenes, etc.). String labels are shown with each relationship so readers know which link text you assigned. Indirect paths may be noted when the connection is not a single hop.
• Vehicle cards — Lists people found on same-color paths. The UI keeps the list focused on persons; the string label still explains the relationship where the product shows it.
• Weapon cards — Also lists people on same-color paths, in a compact layout (labels may be summarized differently than on person cards — see live app).

Printed output

Packaged case print and investigation layouts reuse the same color-equality graph. If two items should not read as one chain in a report, never join them with strings painted the same color as that chain — use a different color or remove the bridging segment.

Operational discipline

• Assign one color per hypothesis, suspect thread, or team theory; use it consistently for every hop on that thread.
• Reuse a color only for relationships you are willing to defend as one connected story in court-style documentation.
• When you reuse a busy color accidentally, unrelated cards can appear linked — audit by temporarily following paths on the board.

Additional guidance

Crime Board uses string stroke colors to infer which cards belong to the same investigative thread. When you open certain cards, the Linked to section summarizes those relationships, and the same logic appears on printed case sheets and investigation-style layouts. Treat color as part of your case notation, not only as decoration.

Same color = same chain

The app walks paths made of strings whose segments share the same color along the route. If you want a person and a vehicle (or weapon, scene, document, or another person) to read as connected in Linked to and in print, draw the chain using one consistent color for every segment on that chain. Changing color mid-chain breaks the path the software can see.

People vs. vehicles and weapons

• People — Linked to can list other kinds of cards reached on same-color paths and shows each link’s text label (and notes when a path is indirect).
• Vehicles — Linked to focuses on people on those paths but still shows the string’s label next to each person so you know which relationship the color represents.
• Weapons — Linked to also lists people on same-color paths; the list stays compact and does not repeat the string label beside each name.

Wrong color = wrong links

If two things are not meant to be on the same investigative chain, do not tie them together using strings that share a color with that chain. Reusing a color creates paths the app will follow, which can make unrelated people or evidence appear linked in Linked to and on printed output. When you first turn on string mode, the String Lines and Colors reminder describes the same rule in short form.

Print Case File

You can print one big case packet (cover sheet plus whichever cards you check off) or one card at a time from the card itself. Some utilities under Tools—like Search or Resolve IP Address—also have their own Print results buttons. Everything goes through your browser’s normal print dialog, so choose a printer or Save as PDF the same way you would for any website.

Print Full Case — case package

Click Print Full Case on the toolbar. The Print case window opens in three bands:

1. Top bar — Title, short reminder text, Select all / Deselect all, and close. When the dialog opens, every card in the case is already checked; trim the list if you only need part of the file.
2. Left column — “Include in print” — Checkboxes grouped by card type (People, Evidence, Vehicles, and so on). Each row shows the print title and kind. Uncheck anything you do not want in the package; the preview updates after each change.
3. Right — Preview — Scrollable pages showing exactly what will print (including attached document PDFs when the app can render them). A line above the frame shows page count and “Building preview…” while the layout is generated.
4. Bottom of the left column — Print options — A summary line (for example “12 pages. Scroll the preview…”), optional Printer list when the host exposes printers, Print all versus a page range field (for example 1, 3, 5-8), and Print… to open the system print dialog.

If a document card’s PDF cannot be embedded in the preview, use the open/link control on that card in the app and print from your usual PDF viewer instead.

Administrators can upload an Investigative Report logo in the Admin panel under the Interface tab (PNG, JPEG, or WEBP; large images are resized). The logo is stored in this browser for printed investigative report layouts. That upload is separate from case evidence photos.

Print one card — on the board

Each evidence card has a slim top strip on the card (next to the drag handle). The printer icon prints only that card in a dedicated layout. Crime scene and standalone image cards include every photo on that card in one job. Media file cards do not show this control—use Print Full Case or open the file outside the app if you need hard copy.

Print one card — from the card window

After you open a card (double-click the board or a sidebar row), the title bar has the same printer icon beside close. Use it to print without going back to the board; multi-photo cards behave the same as on-board printing.

Instant Messaging

When your administrator enables messaging and your account has access, the toolbar shows Instant Messaging (chat bubble icon, sometimes labeled IM). Messages are exchanged between investigators on this deployment — they are not exported as evidence cards and are separate from Case Notes / Narrative.

• Click IM to open the conversation panel; notifications depend on agency configuration.
• Sign-in–only: if authentication is disabled, the control may be hidden entirely.
• Messages from administrators appear under the display name Admin (not their login username). Regular investigators see this AKA in the conversation list, chat header, and message thread.

Chats

Conversation list and chat workspace opened from Instant Messaging ( Tools → Messages opens the same experience when deployed).

Requests

Pending invitations or approvals between investigators appear here until you accept or dismiss them.

Case access

Use messaging-related case access workflows when your deployment links chat with case visibility or shared access lists.

Sidebar

The left Case File column is your index into the current investigation: the official case number, cross-references to other files, and a scrollable roster of every evidence card on the board—grouped by type so you can jump straight into a person, vehicle, document, or photo set.

Header — case number

• Case number appears next to the Case File title and in Case Info. If the field is empty, type a number or label and finish editing so saves target the right file.
• If a number is already set, it acts as a button: click it to switch into edit mode, change the text, then leave the field (blur) or confirm so the new value is stored with the case.

Linked cases

• Related case numbers are listed under Linked Cases (accent styling) so you can see cross-file ties at a glance.
• Manage or Link Cases opens a dialog where you pick other saved cases from the database to attach as references. Those links are saved with the current case when you save.

Roster sections (People through Media files)

Each block is a collapsible section with a count of cards in that category.

• Click the section header (chevron and title) to expand or collapse the list. Your open/closed choices are remembered for the next time you use the app on this browser.
• Double-click a row under a section to open that card’s full editor (the same modal you get from the board). A secondary line often shows the card type or role (for example Suspect, Vehicle).
• Hover a row (when the app supports it) can highlight or peek the matching card on the board so you know which physical card you are about to open.
• People — All person-type evidence cards, sorted for the roster. Deceased may be called out in the line.
• Evidence — Crime scene photo cards and other evidence-type items that count as “evidence” in the sidebar filter. The small gallery (stacked images) button beside the header opens a full-case evidence photos viewer for every photo collected across those cards—not a substitute for opening one card, but a quick slideshow-style review.
• Vehicles, Weapons, Documents, Images, and Media files — Each lists only that card kind; double-click behaves the same everywhere.
• If a card is hidden from the board (when the app marks it off-board), the sidebar may still list it with a visual hint so you can open or restore context without hunting the canvas.

Tools

Open Tools on the menu bar. Your administrator may hide or rename entries; the diagrams below summarize the default set. Many tools expose Print results in their header after you run them.

Messages

In-app investigator messaging — same capability as toolbar Instant Messaging when deployed; opens the conversation workspace.

Screenshots (Chats, Requests, and Case access) live in Instant Messaging.

Messages — Chats (preview)

Area Code & Zip Lookup

Type a U.S. area code or ZIP-code prefix to see where it’s generally assigned. Your agency must enable this integration; results are for quick reference only.

Area / ZIP lookup

Additional lookup view

Resolve IP Address

Open Tools → Resolve IP Address when you need a quick read on an IP or hostname. The app asks a public geolocation service for a general area and also runs a traceroute-style path from Crime Board’s server out toward that address—not from your own computer, so what you see reflects the network path from the agency’s host. A full trace can take up to about a minute.

• Enter an IP address or hostname and choose Resolve. While it works, the button may read Resolving and Tracing.
• When finished, you get a simple route diagram (your server → hops → target), a list of hops with timings when available, and location / network summary lines.
• Clear empties the form. Closing the window clears the results (your typed address may stay until you clear it).
• Use Print results in the window header to open a print preview with the diagram and a table of fields.

Resolve / trace IP (example)

Please note: Map-style location is approximate (often city level). Private and loopback addresses are not sent to outside geo services. Trace and geography are investigative hints only—not proof of identity or an exact street address by themselves.

VIN Decoder

Paste or type the 17-character VIN from a vehicle card or report. When your server has the decoder wired up, Crime Board fills in standardized fields—but you should always double-check digits against physical tags and paperwork.

VIN Decoder

Create Autopsy Report

Open Tools → Create Autopsy Report when your agency’s license includes this feature. It opens a full autopsy worksheet with a live letter-sized preview on the right while you type on the left.

Important: Nothing in this window is saved into your Crime Board case automatically. The red notice at the top applies: export a PDF or PNG (ZIP) and attach that file to your case (or use Print) so the report is preserved.

Body diagram — injury markings

In the Body diagrams — place injury symbols section, a row of buttons lets you pick what kind of mark to place. The app uses these types (labels match the buttons):

• Laceration
• Bullet hole
• Bullet exit
• Stab wound
• Abrasion
• Bruise
• Needle puncture
• Impact injury

To add a mark: click the injury type so its button highlights (click again to deselect). Then click on the body image where the finding belongs. The diagram is split into two halves; each half is either the anterior (front) or posterior (back) view. A line of text under the diagram tells you which side is which for the current settings—use that so you don’t place a mark on the wrong view.

To remove one mark: turn on Delete symbol, then click the symbol on the diagram (turn the mode off when you’re done). Clear all removes every symbol at once.

Sex and the figure

In Administrative & identification, the Sex field is set to Male or Female. Changing it switches the body outline to the matching reference figure. It also updates how the two panels are labeled: for male the diagram caption reads Left: anterior — Right: posterior; for female it reads Left: posterior — Right: anterior. Place your marks after the correct sex is selected so the printed report matches the decedent and the front/back layout you intend.

Describe injuries in text under Examination & findings (for example Injuries / findings (correlate to diagrams)) so narrative and diagram stay consistent.

Create Autopsy Report — form and injury tools

Live preview and worksheet (example)

The Missing (portal)

From the Investigative Tools homepage, open The Missing (/missing/) to post and browse missing person notices. On phones and small screens the page uses a stacked, touch-friendly layout (laptop/desktop look is unchanged). The main page shows a grid of notices (primary photo, name, city, and state). Notices for people under 18 show a red MINOR stamp on the card. Use the filter bar to narrow the list by city, state, age, gender, or minor (under 18) vs adult. Under the filters, compact Sort 1, Sort 2, and Sort 3 dropdowns set sort priority—for example Sort 1 = State and Sort 2 = Last name. Choices are Age, Last name, and State. To the right of sort, Search lets you choose Search in (Name, First name, Last name, or Case number), enter text, and click Search (NCMEC name searches use their Poster API; case number filters the loaded list). The filter bar also shows how many Posters are loaded and, when filters are applied, how many of those are currently displayed. When an administrator enables NCMEC (National Center for Missing & Exploited Children) posters in the lock modal and saves API credentials, a Source filter appears: Local + NCMEC, Local notices, or NCMEC posters. NCMEC cards show an NCMEC badge (and AMBER when applicable); opening one shows tip-line contact information and is not editable in The Missing. NCMEC results load in pages of 100; use Load more NCMEC posters at the bottom of the grid when more are available. Add Missing Person opens a form modal with a note that notices are auto-deleted after the admin-configured number of days unless an administrator marks them permanent, photo uploads at the top, then dropdowns for age (1–105), race, gender, state, hair color, and eye color, last-seen fields, and agency/case information. From the lock (administrator) modal, an admin can also mark a notice as Sample; sample notices show a red SAMPLE bar under the card on the public grid. last-seen location and clothing, agency / case number / phone, and case notes (up to 1000 characters; choose which photo is primary for the grid). If hair color is Other, describe that color in the case information box. Large camera photos are automatically resized (longest side about 1600px) before and after upload so notices stay fast to load and print. Opening a notice shows the full record in a popup modal; use Print Poster or Close from the modal header. Printed posters are scaled to fit on one standard letter-size page and end with: IF SEEN, PLEASE CONTACT YOUR LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY. Age, race, gender, hair color, and eye color appear in a two-column layout on the record.

Notices are removed automatically after 60 days by default. The lock icon opens administrator settings (same Crime Board admin sign-in as other lock modals): change the global expiration period, mark individual notices permanent, or edit / delete any entry. The same modal has an NCMEC missing posters section: enable the feed, enter the NCMEC Poster API client ID and client secret, and optionally a default state (for example TX) used when the public State filter is “All states”.

Search

Search (under Tools) lets you find people, vehicles, weapons, or single words / phrases across saved cases in your database. Pick what you’re looking for at the top, fill in only the fields that matter, then run the search.

Each result row shows the case number first, then where the match was found and a short preview of the text.

By default the app looks through all cases on the server, even ones you aren’t allowed to open yet—you may still see a preview snippet. When you’re signed in, clicking a case number can start Request case access where your agency supports it. Turn on Search current case only to limit results to whatever case you currently have loaded on the board (that option needs an open case to return hits).

After a search completes, use Print results in the header to print or save PDF. Clear resets the form; switching the search type clears old results; closing the window also clears what you typed.

Search scope checkboxes

Two checkboxes sit on one row under the search type:

• Partial match — Affects Keyword searches and vehicle license plate and VIN fields only (not people or weapon text fields). See below for behavior when on or off.
• Search current case only — When off (default), people, vehicle, weapon, and keyword searches scan all cases in the database. When on, only the currently open case is searched.

How criteria combine

For People, Vehicles, and Weapons, every field you fill in must match the same card (logical AND). Empty fields are ignored. For Keyword, the app looks for your text across the whole case; see below for where that goes and how “whole word” works.

Partial match (detail)

This switch only affects Keyword searches and vehicle license plate and VIN fields—not people or weapon fields.

• Keyword — on: your term may appear anywhere in the text (substring). Off: matches whole words (using word boundaries) or a field that exactly equals your search, case aside.
• Vehicle plate and VIN — on: letters and digits you type are matched as flexible “contains” searches after normalizing spaces and punctuation (for example state and plate number can be searched together). Off: the plate or VIN on the card must equal your query exactly after the same normalization—useful when you need a full plate or full VIN hit only.

Make, model, and color on vehicles always use flexible text matching regardless of this checkbox.

People

Matches person evidence cards only. Text fields are case-insensitive; matching allows your text to appear inside the stored value (substring).

• Names and DOB — Last, first, and middle names; date of birth (use the calendar or type MM/DD/YYYY) each use substring match on the card.
• ID number — Same flexible substring rules as name fields.
• Social Security number — Digits only are compared; a partial digit sequence may match inside the full number stored on the card.
• Starting / ending age range — Uses the age shown on the person card (living age or age at death when the card supports it). If you set a range, persons without a computable age do not match.
• Race and gender — Any skips the filter. Otherwise the card must match the option you picked; race uses the same flexible text rules as other string fields.

Vehicles

Matches vehicle cards only.

• Make and Model — Substring, case-insensitive.
• Color (primary or secondary) — Your text may match either the primary or secondary color field on the card (substring).
• License plate — Normalized (letters and digits; case-insensitive). Behavior depends on Partial Match as described above. The search can match the plate number alone, the state alone, or state and number combined, depending on what is stored on the card.
• VIN — Normalized (no spaces or hyphens). Partial Match controls substring versus full-VIN equality, as above.

Weapons

Matches weapon cards only. Text fields use substring, case-insensitive matching when you enter them.

• Serial number — Matched against the card’s serial when you provide text.
• Make (manufacturer) — Matched against the manufacturer field when you provide text.
• Model — For firearms this is the firearm model; for knives it is the knife type text. Substring rules apply.
• Caliber / gauge and Firearm type — Only apply to firearm weapon cards. If you enter caliber or choose handgun / rifle / shotgun, knife-only cards will not match. Firearm type is exact (category must match). Caliber uses flexible text match.

Keyword

One search box scans each case in scope (one case when Search current case only is on, or every database case when it is off): case title, case notes, board metadata, linked case numbers, administrator reference lists stored with the case, and every text-bearing part of every card—including labels on string lines, sticky content, uploads, and similar fields. Each hit shows where the text was found and a short preview. Partial match controls substring versus whole-word matching, as above.

Case numbers and access

When you are signed in, click a case number in the results grid to open Request case access with that number filled in. Opening or editing a case file still requires normal permissions; search only surfaces matches. If a hit is in a case you already can open, load that case from File → Open Case or your usual workflow.

Keyboard shortcuts

• File → New Case — Ctrl+N (⌘+N on macOS).
• File → Open Case — Ctrl+O.
• File → Save Case — Ctrl+S. Does nothing while the case is read-only (same as the grayed menu command).
• File → Exit — Ctrl+Q (browser tabs may ignore closing).
• Edit — Ctrl+X/C/V/Z in text fields.
• Preferences → Display Settings — Ctrl+, (⌘+, on macOS).
• Help → View Help — Opens this article in a new tab (F1).

Getting unstuck

• Cannot save — Look for the red READ ONLY strip ( Read-Only Cases). If it is absent and saving still fails, note the exact message in the red banner at the top of the board and contact your support contact.
• Missing case in Load list — Another investigator may own the file, or access may need to be granted to your account. A case can still appear in Search results when it is in the database; use the case number there to request access if you cannot open it from Load case.
• This page — Use Help → View Help or F1 anytime; the article opens in a new browser tab so you can keep it beside your board.