User Guide - Advanced Search

Last updated March 19, 2024

Advanced Search

To get here, click the "Advanced Search" link below the search bar on the Quick Search page. This will allow you to do custom searches based on more specific criteria.

Searches can be filtered by "Relevant States" and customized to the entities available in the tabs — Person, Vehicle, Location, Organization, Firearm, Property, Phone, and Document.

The asterisks in a search field represent fields that will allow the use of * and ? for wildcards and | to represent OR searches. Hover over the * to see the Tooltip.

Advanced search only shows results based on your search criteria. For example, if you search for a brown-eyed male, 18 - 30, your result set will be limited to specific documents where a male has been identified as having brown eyes AND being 18 to 30 years old.

Each search is cumulative and each additional attribute will narrow the scope of the result set. Click on a result to see more detailed information as well as direct relationships with other entities.

If one or more results are believed to be the same, you have the option to use Manual Merge to merge them into one.

To start a new search, use the Clear button to clear the form. Note that this will not affect selected Relevant States or the SoundEx option under Person Search. If you click the Clear All button in the drop down, all the fields in ALL entity tabs will be cleared.

CrimeTracer Chatbot

Introducing the CrimeTracer Chatbot

Purpose: The CrimeTracer Chatbot is a new feature in SoundThinking’s CrimeTracer platform that enables law enforcement professionals to query investigative data using plain language. Powered by trusted AI models, the chatbot helps uncover leads, streamline searches, and enhance investigative workflows—without the need for complex query syntax.

Key Capabilities: The Chatbot is designed to support the following use cases for approved agencies:

• Interpret natural language questions to support rapid data discovery

• Automatically converts plain text into structured CrimeTracer searches

• Interpret natural language questions to support rapid data discovery

Use Case Examples:

• A detective types “Show me all white males named Jimmy Durgen born on 12/07/2003” and the chatbot returns a list of matching results.

• A crime analyst asks, “What documents mention a white male aged 30-35 driving a red Ford Mustang in Portland, Oregon?” and receives a list of documents that contain the objects of interest.

Benefits for Agencies:

• Saves time by simplifying access to complex case data

• Supports investigative work across roles with minimal training required

• Allows quick follow-up searches without restarting

Transparency & Control:

• This chatbot does not create or modify any system records.

• All responses are AI-generated and should be verified by the user before use in an official or legal context.

• Full audit logs of chatbot interactions are available for your agency’s review.

• The feature can be enabled or disabled per user by a CrimeTracer administrator.

Limitations:

• The chatbot does not access personally identifiable information (PII) beyond what the user already has access to in CrimeTracer.

• Outputs may include inaccuracies and are not a substitute for human judgment.

• The chatbot cannot be used to make arrest decisions or generate official reports.

Availability:

Starting September 1, 2025, CrimeTracer's Chatbot feature will be enabled by default for all users. The intent of this new feature is to make searching and finding leads simpler and easier than ever before. If your agency prefers to opt out, please contact crimetracer.support@soundthinking.com before the change takes effect.

Filter by State

To filter a search by state, click the Relevant States button to open a drop-down, then check any states you are interested in searching. Selected options will apply to all advanced searches.

Click the state again to un-select. Any selected states will also be cleared at sign-off. However, they will NOT clear when resetting the form using the Clear button.

Person Search

CrimeTracer Person Advanced Search can be accessed by clicking the Person tab and is where person description data can be entered for use in a query. It will load by default upon entering Advanced Search.

N-DEx Person Search

If N-DEx person search is available for your agency, check the box labeled "Perform N-DEx Search" to query the FBI's N-DEx system for persons of interest. This will search both CrimeTracer and N-DEx. Alternatively, not having this checked searches CrimeTracer only.

When a user logs on and wishes to search N-DEx, the user MUST provide both a Use Code and a text Reason Value for performing the search.

Additionally, N-DEx requires a reason for each search performed on N-DEx data. As such, a reason screen will be presented each time an N-DEx search is performed. This will also appear each time data is retrieved from N-DEx, such as an N-DEx link provided in details pages. This information is sent to NDEX for auditing purposes.

Once the search is run with N-DEx, the person results page will show a tab for CrimeTracer results and a tab for N-DEx results with the total number of each in parentheses. The total number of results is indicated in the parentheses next to the Person Results title. Click on the N-DEx tab to see N-DEx results.

N-DEx Person Search Consolidation

If N-DEx search is available for your agency and you select this option, your N-DEx and CrimeTracer results will be consolidated when possible, into a single entity in results. To get to the option, click your username in the upper right corner, select User Preferences, then Federated Consolidation. Note that you still must check "Perform N-DEx Search?" in Person Advanced Search to run the query against N-DEx.

In the Person Results table, the Source column indicates whether a result returned from CrimeTracer, N-DEx (NDEX), or if it is a consolidation of both sources.

N-DEx Person Details

When you click on a document that is from N-DEx, the document details are displayed in the N-DEx style sheet.

Person Search Fields

Enter relative information in the appropriate fields and click Search. Expand the following links to see searchable fields and their descriptions. The wildcard symbol '?' can be used when a single character is not known.

Popular Search Fields for Person

Item	Description
SoundEx Option	Radio button. Optional phonetic algorithm for indexing names by sound, as pronounced in English (e.g., Jon and John). Applies to Last, First, or Middle name fields. Note: User may choose to add either SoundEx or Diminutive option, or leave them both out. Including either may increase search times.
Diminutive Option	Radio button. Optional algorithm designed to search for nicknames and diminutives of names (e.g., Thomas, Thom, Tommy, and Tom). Applies to Last, First, or Middle name fields. Note: User may choose to add either SoundEx or Diminutive option, or leave them both out. Including either may increase search times.
Last Name	Free form alphanumeric field. Enter available last name of person. String match with auto wildcard or exact match.
First Name	Free form alphanumeric field. Enter available first name of person. String match with auto wildcard or exact match.
Middle Name	Free form alphanumeric field. Enter available middle name of person. Initial is OK. String match with auto wildcard or exact match.
Moniker	Free form alphanumeric field. Enter any available name of person. String match with auto wildcard or exact match. Quick way to search for a name regardless of it being a last name, first name, middle name, or alias.
Race	Click the menu to display available options. Race of person.
Gender	Click the menu to display available options. Gender of person.
DOB	Birth date of person in mm/dd/yyyy format. '*' may be used to look for one or more numbers. '?' will wildcard a single digit in the number.

Demographic Information

Item	Description
Age Min	Range. 0-100 Enter age of person. CrimeTracer ages persons in the database automatically using the date of birth that is considered the true date of birth.
Age Max	Range. 0-100 Enter age of person. Enter same age as min for an exact age search. CrimeTracer ages persons in the database automatically using the date of birth that is considered the true date of birth.
Height Min	Height of person. A range can be displayed.
Height Max	Height of person. Enter same height as min for an exact height search. A range can be displayed.
Weight Min	Weight of person in pounds. A range can be displayed.
Weight Max	Weight of person in pounds. Enter the same weight as min for an exact weight search. A range can be displayed.
Hair	Click the menu to display available options. Hair color type of person.
Eyes	Click the menu to display available options. Click eye color of person.
Complexion	Click the menu to display available options. Overall hue or appearance of the skin, especially the face.
Build	Click the menu to display available options. Bodily formation of the individual.
Ethnicity	Click the menu to display available options.
Place of Birth	Click the menu to display available options.

Identification Information

Item	Description
Identifier Type	SSN, OLN, FBI, MIN, SID. Click selection
Identifier Value	Enter alpha numeric string
Issuing Authority	Who issued the identifier. Enter alpha numeric string.
Issuing State	What State is the identifier from. Click the menu to display available options.

Scars, Marks, and Tattoos

Item	Description
Category	Click the menu to display available options. Click marks category option. Click the Add button to add additional categories.
Type	Click the menu to display available options. Click marks type option.
Location	Click the menu to display available options. Click marks location on body option.
Description	Free form field using available descriptive terms. Wildcard characters * and ? can be used. Click the Add button to add additonal descriptions.

Residence Information

Please Note: When you use the residence fields to search for a person, the system will only find addresses that are specifically listed as a residence in the originating RMS. This means that general locations won't be searched from the Person screen. To search all locations please use Location Search and associate it to a person.

Item	Description
Street # Min	Range. Enter numeric segment of street address.
Street # Max	Range. Enter numeric segment of street address.
Direction	Click the menu to display available options. Click main direction street name runs along. Match unknowns.
Street Name	Free form field. Enter street name of location. Wildcard characters * and ? can be used. String match with auto wildcard or exact match.
Type	Click the menu to display available options. Click street address suffix of location. Match unknowns.
City	Free form field. Enter city name of location. Auto wildcard.
County	Free form field. Enter county of location.
State	Click the menu to display available options. Click the state name.
Postal Code	Numeric. Zip code.

Person Search Results

If matches are found they will be displayed in a person summary table. A successful Person Search allows you to view person summary and related document summary information. Click on each person displayed to see more detailed information. This page will be titled Person Details.

From Person Details, you can print a detailed and comprehensive workup on a person of interest. The workup includes all personal history data, all document co-occurrence relationships and all narratives related to a subject. Follow the steps below to print a person workup from a person details page.

Click on the "Export Complete History" link at the top of a Person Details Page. This will open a new page in a new tab.
This new page will look very similar to the original details page, however, it will contain much more data. In addition to the complete history of a person's details, the new tab will include all direct associations (document co-occurrences) as well as all narratives from the person's involved documents. From here, simply click the three dots in the upper right of the browser. This will open a menu with a Print... menu option. Click the Print... option.
A print preview dialog will open. Note, if you are printing a workup on a person with a significant number of involvements, the print preview may take a few seconds to load. From this dialog you can choose to save as PDF or print to a printer.

Vehicle Search

CrimeTracer Vehicle Advanced Search can be accessed by clicking the Vehicle tab and is where vehicle description data can be entered for use in a query.

From the Advanced Search page, click the Vehicle tab. Enter relative information in the appropriate fields and click Search. If matches are found they will be displayed in a vehicle summary table. A successful Vehicle Search allows you to view vehicle summary and related document summary information. Click on each vehicle displayed to see more detailed information.

In addition to vehicle information, CrimeTracer can also provide LPR records from various participating services who integrate with CrimeTracer. If your agency has access to LPR data from a service integrated with CrimeTracer then you will receive a LPR tab with a table of LPR results as well as a map displaying the LPR results on the vehicle results page. Please review the LPR Information link below for more information on LPR data and searches.

Search Fields for Vehicle

Item	Description
Year	Range. 4 numbers between 1900 and current calendar year plus 2. Year vehicle was manufactured. Partial data can be entered.
Plate	Free form alphanumeric field. License plate number. Auto wildcard.
VIN	Free form field. Enter the vehicle identification number. Auto wildcard.
State	Click the menu to display available options. Click the state name.
Make	Click the menu to display available options. Manufacturer of vehicle.
Model	Click the menu to display available options. Model name of vehicle.
Style	Click the menu to display available options. Descriptive information about vehicle configuration.
Class	Click the menu to display available options. Click the class of vehicle.
Primary Color	Click the menu to display available options. Click the primary color.
Secondary Color	Click the menu to display available options. Click the secondary color.
Record Date	Enter the date the reference to the vehicle was captured.

LPR Information

CrimeTracer vehicle searches support retrieving LPR data from various participating LPR providers as well. CrimeTracer LPR data can be accessed by doing a vehicle search with at least one of the following supported search criteria:

* = not all participating LPR providers support the field
^ = wildcard field (not all LPR providers support wildcard searches)

PLATE^

MAKE*

MAKE + MODEL*

PRIMARY COLOR*

Any fields listred in the Search Fields for LPR section below

NOTE: If you are receiving 0 LPR results, your agency may not be contributing LPR data to CrimeTracer. Please contact CrimeTracer Support to inquire about which LPR sources are available to you.

Search Fields for LPR

Item	Description
Map	Users may define an area on a map by drawing an area to focus their LPR search
Date Range	Range. Enter the min and max date you want to see LPR hits from.
Time From	Click the menu to display available options. Click the time from.
Time(To)	Click the menu to display available options. Click the time to.

Location Search

CrimeTracer Location Advanced Search can be accessed by clicking the Location tab and is where Location description data can be entered for use in a query.

From the Advanced Search page, click the Location tab. Enter relative information in the appropriate fields and click Search. If matches are found they will be displayed in a location summary table. A successful Location Search allows you to view location summary and related document summary information. Click on each location displayed to see more detailed information.

Additionally, users may define an area on a map by drawing an area to focus their search. This may be combined with regular search terms like street name.

In this example shown, CrimeTracer will search the selected area and show all the valid locations within that area that also have the street name of "Broadway." Leaving off the street name will search the entire area.

Popular Search Fields for Location

Item	Description
Street Number	Range. Enter the min and max numbers for location approximation. Enter same number in both for an exact location search.
Direction	Click the menu to display available options.
Street Name	Free form field. Enter the name of the street. Auto wildcard.
Street Type	Click the menu to display available options.
Suffix	Click the menu to display available options.
Apt Number	Free form field. If available, enter the apartment number.
City	Free form field. Enter the name of the city.
County	Free form field. Enter the name of the county.
State	Click the menu to display available options.
Postal Code	Free form field. 5 digit minimum. Enter the postal code.

Cross Street Address Information

Item	Description
Direction	Click the menu to display available options. Click main direction cross street name runs along.
Cross Street Name	Free form alphanumeric field. Enter nearest cross street name relative to location. Auto wildcard. Soundex.
Cross Street Type	Click the menu to display available options. Match unknowns.

Additional Information

Item	Description
Mile Marker Min	Free form field. Enter mile marker range.
Mile Marker Max	Free form field. Enter mile marker range.
Location Name	Free form field. Enter Location Name.
Location Description	Free form alphanumeric field. Enter text further related to attribute.

Organization Search

CrimeTracer Organization Advanced Search can be accessed by clicking the Organization tab and is where organization description data can be entered for use in a query.

From the Advanced Search page, click the Organization tab. Enter relative information in the appropriate fields and click Search. If matches are found they will be displayed in a organization summary table. A successful Organization Search allows you to view organization summary and related document summary information. Click on each organization displayed to see more detailed information.

Popular Search Fields for Organization

Item	Description
Organization Name	Free form alphanumeric field. Enter available last name of organization. Alias OK. Wildcard characters * and ? can be used. String match with auto wildcard or exact match.
Type	Click the menu to display available options. Click the type.

Address Information

Item	Description
Streen Number	Range. Enter numeric segment of street address.
Direction	Click the menu to display available options. Click main direction street name runs along. Match unknowns. Accommodates jurisdictions where order of the street direction is an important consideration. Example 1234 NE 160th Avenue is different from 1234 160th Avenue NE.
Street Name	Free form field. Enter street name of location. Wildcard characters * and ? can be used. String match with auto wildcard or exact match.
Apt Number	Enter alpha numeric segment of apartment location.
Street Type	Click the menu to display available options. Click street address suffix of location. Match unknowns.

Identification Information

Item	Description
State of Incorporation	Click the menu to display available options. Click the state name.
Tax ID	Free form alphanumeric field. Enter organization tax ID information.
Email	Free form alphanumeric field. Enter email information.
Website	Free form alphanumeric field. Enter associated website information.

Firearm Search

CrimeTracer Firearm Advanced Search can be accessed by clicking the Firearm tab and is where firearm description data can be entered for use in a query

From the Advanced Search page, click the Firearm tab. Enter relative information in the appropriate fields and click Search. If matches are found they will be displayed in a firearm summary table. A successful Firearm Search allows you to view firearm summary and related document summary information. Click on each firearm displayed to see more detailed information.

Popular Search Fields for Firearm

Item	Description
Serial Number	Free form field. Enter the firearm serial number. Auto wildcard.
Manufacturer	Click the menu to display available options. Click the firearm manufacturer.
Brand	Click the menu to display available options. Click the firearm brand.
Model	Click the menu to display available options. Click the firearm model.
Type	Click the menu to display available options. Click the type.
Caliber	Click the menu to display available options. Detail information about caliber of firearm.
Primary Color	Click the menu to display available options. Click the primary color of the firearm.
Secondary Color	Click the menu to display available options. Click the secondary color of the firearm.

Property Search

CrimeTracer Property Advanced Search can be accessed by clicking the Property tab and is where property description data can be entered for use in a query.

From the Advanced Search page, click the Property tab. Enter relative information in the appropriate fields and click Search. If matches are found they will be displayed in a property summary table. A successful Property Search allows you to view property summary and related document summary information. Click on each property displayed to see more detailed information.

Popular Search Fields for Property

Item	Description
Make or Issuer	Free form field. Enter Property Make information. Auto wildcard.
Type	Click the menu to display available options. Descriptive term for property category.
Serial Number	Free form field. Enter the property serial number. Auto wildcard.
Value	Free form alphanumeric field. Enter associated value information.
Primary Color	Click the menu to display available options. Click the primary color of the property.

Additional Information

Item	Description
Description	Free form alphanumeric field. Enter associated value information.
Model	Free form field. Enter Property Model information. Auto wildcard.
Quantity	Free form field. Numeric or descriptive terms for dimensions and quantity of property.
Unit of Measure
Value	Free form alphanumeric field. Enter associated value information.
Secondary Color	Click the menu to display available options. Click the secondary color of the property.

Phone Search

CrimeTracer Phone Advanced Search can be accessed by clicking the Phone tab and is where phone description data can be entered for use in a query.

Telephone number searches can be performed in different ways. Depending on how the search is conducted, the results set shows different objects. The Phone Search form has a field for entering a single telephone number, including the country code, US and Canadian area codes, and the number itself. Only numeric values and wildcard characters ? and * are permitted in phone number fields. Do not enter dashes into the phone number field. If you do enter a non-numeric character, an error message will be displayed.

From the Advanced Search page, click the Phone tab. Enter relative information in the appropriate fields and click Search. If matches are found they will be displayed in a phone number summary table. A successful Phone Search allows you to view phone summary and related document summary information. Click on each phone number displayed to see more detailed information.

Popular Search Fields for Phone

Item	Description
Country	Enter the Country code for number being searched for.
Area	Enter Area code for phone number searching for
Phone Number	Enter phone number searching for. Numeric only.
Phone Type	Select the type of phone searching for.
Phone Date	Enter the date a record of the phone would have been Created.

Document Search

CrimeTracer Document Advanced Search can be accessed by clicking the Document tab and is where document description data can be entered for use in a query.

From the Advanced Search page, click the Document tab. Enter relative information in the appropriate fields and click Search. If matches are found they will be displayed in a document summary table. A successful Document Search allows you to view document summary and related document summary information. Click on each document displayed to see more detailed information.

N-DEx Document Search

Check the box labeled "Include N-DEx Results" to query the FBI's N-DEx system for documents. This will search both CrimeTracer and N-DEx. Alternatively, not having this checked searches CrimeTracer only. Use both the Document number and the ORI to search for documents in N-DEx.

When a user logs on and wishes to search N-DEx, the user MUST provide both a Use Code and a text Reason Value for performing the search.

When a returned source includes a document from N-DEx, users are now able to click on that document to open the N-DEx results. These will only appear when querying N-DEx.

Item	Description
Document Number	Free form alphanumeric field. Enter associated case assignment number. Auto wildcard.
Document Agency	Specific nodes in region. Click the menu to display available options. Click agency options.
Document Status	Click the menu to display available options. Click case status category option.
Type	Click the menu to display available options. Click doc type name.

Officer Information

Item	Description
Badge Number	Free form alphanumeric field.
Activity Type	Click the menu to display available options. Click activity type for the officer.

Custom Attributes

If an agency records extra information to a document that information is now displayed as a embedded table on the document details page.

Manual Merge

When search results return, a user can use Manual Merge to select one or more entities that they believe to be the same and merge them into one. This new entity will be visible to only the user that created the entity and will persist across user sessions. Manually Merged entities will act as one consolidated entity in the Visualizer and in Find Associations. When navigating through the application, merged items will display a icon.

To merge entities from the advanced search results screen, check the check boxes next to the rows you wish to merge. Then click the "+ Manual Merge" button.

When selected, you will be prompted to name your new merged item.

As soon as the new Merged entity is saved, the search will run again and show you your merged items in the list. Note the icon in the Alerts field.

Your merged entity will show in your User Preferences under Advanced Search. This is also where you will go to remove the merged item as needed.

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