OGDEN -- The North Ogden Police Department is receiving high-tech help from Ogden's new Real Time Crime Center in the hunt for 16-year-old Alexis Rasmussen.
The crime center's staff is using multiple databases to crunch disparate information to help North Ogden police develop solid leads and avoid futile chases in the case of the teen who has been missing since Sept. 10, said Ogden Police Chief Jon Greiner.
Information that may appear to be unrelated on the surface, such as Rasmussen's associates, automobile data and potential people of interest in the case, can be compared by the center's computers to determine commonality, Greiner said.
Results can be placed on layered electronic interactive maps, saving North Ogden police precious time in the investigation and assisting them in preparing for questioning those who may have information about Rasmussen.
"If they start out lying and you catch them in a lie, they generally start telling the truth," Greiner said.
Last week, the crime center began assisting North Ogden police with the investigation into Rasmussen's disappearance. The case is one of the most complex tackled by the crime center, which began operating in July at the Ogden Public Safety Building, 2186 Lincoln Ave.
The center has assisted several other law enforcement agencies and recently helped U.S. Postal Service inspectors solve a local fraud case, Greiner said.
The crime center features a host of state-of-the-art computer programs that allow officers to combine statistical information, such as where crimes occur and where parolees live, to pinpoint areas of highest crime-prevention priority.
Greiner has estimated it cost in the low tens of thousands of dollars to install the center because Ogden police did not have to pay for the software from Universal Mind, a digital solutions organization.
The only costs to the city were the purchase of hardware and large-screen monitors and minor remodeling to create a room for equipment in the public safety building.
Detective Paul Rhoades, a spokesman for the North Ogden Police Department, said Wednesday the crime center and its technicians have been a significant help in the investigation.
"We have been pleased with them," he said.
North Ogden police also are receiving assistance from the FBI, the Utah Statewide Information Analysis Center and the National Center for Missing and Endangered Children.
Police are worried for Rasmussen's safety because of the length of time she has been missing, said Rhoades, who nevertheless declined to categorize her as a crime victim.
"For her to be so long off the grid, we consider her endangered," he said.
Rasmussen was last seen baby-sitting at the home of Eric and Dea Millerberg on Sept. 10, said her mother, Dawn Miera, and was reported missing the next morning.
Last week, the Millerbergs were arrested on charges unrelated to Rasmussen's disappearance.
Eric Millerberg, 36, was arrested on a probation violation for the use of opiates, according to court records. He pleaded guilty to the violations Tuesday morning in 2nd District Court.
Dea Millerberg, 38, was arrested a day or two later by the Weber-Morgan Narcotics Strike Force and charged with two counts of forging prescriptions.
They remain in Weber County Jail.
Police executed a search warrant Sunday night at the Millerberg home, 3228 N. 900 East.
Rhoades declined to comment on the arrests of the Millerbergs or the search of their home.
There have been reported sightings of Rasmussen at stores in Clearfield, Roy and Layton, but surveillance video has failed to confirm she was ever there.
The case is frustrating for investigators who are taking a personal interest in finding Rasmussen, Rhoades said.
"We feel like it's going to be solved, and then we run into a dead end," he said. "It's personal to us, because so many of us have children her age and we would want them returned if it were our child."
Those with information about Rasmussen's whereabouts should call their local police department or the Weber Consolidated Dispatch Center at 801-629-8221.
Comments