In the US alone, more than seventy-five percent of the crimes have a vehicle in question in one way or the other; therefore, partnering with an agency offering vehicle data is one way for the police to hasten their investigations. An example of such an agency is the Carfax for police, which tracks a vehicle’s identification number, including its title, inspection records, insurance policy, and registration.
So what is Carfax for police? Carfax for police is a password-protected investigative website that provides insights and solutions to law enforcement agencies to create a safe, efficient, and protected community. The insights provided by Carfax for police help solve auto theft, armed robbery, homicide, burglary, hit and run, and other criminal cases.
Over 2500 enforcement agencies in the U.S. are in partnership with Carfax. These agencies provide the company and its users with car information and crash reports, among other details.
To ensure the flow of credible information and its access by authorized persons, Carfax has limitations on the individuals accessing this site. If authorized, there is no limitation on the number of logins, for instance, the police. Also included in a Carfax partnership is a service that allows police departments to handle all requests and digitize crash reports they receive. These departments do this at zero startup and maintenance costs, making it a win-win for both parties.
Through Carfax, individuals can also order an investigation online. This saves the investigators time and speeds up the processes as investigators can solve crimes faster, given that they do not have to fill the crash reports manually at the counter. In addition to being an effective investigative tool, Carfax has zero investment and startup costs. There are also no maintenance costs, and you do not need to buy any hardware or software to access this information.
Using the information provided by Carfax, officers can utilize the information about the VINs, and crashes found on the website and the analytics displayed in the streamlined dashboard view. Also, the new Carfax Partial License Plate Search allows you to locate your vehicles of interest using the year, model, make, and body style. The good news is that Carfax Police delivers the information you need faster and in a detailed format than other investigative agencies.
How Can You Utilize Carfax as a Police Officer?
The law enforcement sector faces a new set of challenges every day, with technology also evolving quickly. Therefore, time becomes a top consideration, and utilizing the resources available through partnerships can enable you to get the information you need on time.
As a police officer, you can utilize Carfax investigative tools with your unique log-ins on their portal. Also, you can track your usage, activated VIN alerts, and track the vehicles you are monitoring as part of your case on your dashboards.
Through this site, you will also see the crash reports viewed by other users and the agency-wide statistics. The Carfax dashboard also notifies the officers of any other person within or outside the agency monitoring the same vehicle. This way, officers can collaborate when solving crimes such as drug trafficking and homicides. Therefore, reducing the time taken to conduct investigations.
With the improvement in technology, officers mostly rely on their phones as sources of information in the field. To make their work easier, Carfax for Police is designed in such a manner that the police can access its features using their phones in the same way they would use their desktop computers. Carfax for police mobile site runs on both iOS and Android devices, optimized perfectly for mobile viewing.
Thus, as soon as new information is reported to Carfax, an officer monitoring the related vehicles will get the alert on their email, which they can view using their phones. Even better, Carfax for police has an app that users can download and solve their community crimes faster and easier. With this app, you will receive instant notifications, get unlimited history reports, and scan VINs on the spot using your phone.
Where Does Carfax Get Its Information?
The Carfax is a vital asset to the police department. It saves them time used in collecting information by providing investigation data conveniently. However, where does Carfax get its information?
Generally, Carfax has over 100,000 sources of information in the US and Canada; they include the police and fire departments, auto auctions, and collision repair facilities, among others. To ensure the credibility of information, Carfax for police also uses direct input from investigators from different agencies to develop its site. With this information, they can meet its user needs, most of who are the police.
Also, given that each police department could monitor hundreds of cases of suspect vehicles, having a common website where investigators can add and get updates on vehicles ensures they utilize every opportunity to solve the case. This, in turn, improves the efficiency and effectiveness of solving cases.
What Tools Does Carfax for Police Use?
Carfax for police offers a no-cost partnership with the police, making it easier for officers to enforce the law. To make your work easier, the program provides police agencies with assistance tools to aid in their work.
The three assistive tools used by Carfax for Police include Carfax VIN alert, accident report e-commerce, and the Partial Plate Searches. Through the Carfax VIN Alert, your investigators can have unlimited access to vehicle history reports. Also, Carfax will alert you using the Carfax VIN alert of every activity on the vehicle you are investigating. You will also view its history and access other trainers utilizing this feature.
The Carfax Police e-commerce feature enables the police to sell accident reports they collect. Every month, you will access a revenue check for the reports selling on the agency’s e-commerce site. With the e-commerce feature, the various departments can sell the accident reports they receive. This saves them time and reduces their administrative tasks.
Partial Plate Searches, a recent addition to Carfax for Police investigative tools, enhances the investigation process by allowing individuals to recover information using the partial plates. The Partial Plate Searches feature comprises web-based access, a minimum of three characters comprising the first or last three characters and their state of origin. Also included in the Partial Plate Searches is the ability to narrow the search parameters using the Make, Year, and model and receiving a list of potential VIN’s matching these parameters.
Can You Collect Police Reports from Carfax?
Carfax is a handy tool that provides assistance to the police in various ways. Therefore, instead of visiting your nearest police station for a police report, can an individual download it from the Carfax servers instead?
Due to the nature of the information within Carfax servers, the information is mainly limited to law enforcement agencies and district attorneys. This implies that you can only access police reports from Carfax if you are an authorized person. To be authorized to access information from the Carfax for police, you must be a victim, or a party involved in the case. Attorneys, insurance agents, or any other authorized agents can also access this information.
As an authorized agent, you should sign the authorization from the involved party. You will also need to include a copy of the involved party’s identification. If you are an insurance party, you will include the insurance company’s name and attach the information of the insured party.
Are Accidents Included in Carfax?
Generally, Carfax will detail all the information it receives about a car. Such information will be detailed depending on the information that the site receives. However, are accidents part of this information held by Carfax?
Given that Carfax will report all the details about a car as long as it is available, accidents too will feature in such reports. Both past and present accidents are important information in tracking crime-related incidences in the car’s history. This way, the investigators will be able to conduct an intensive investigation with the available information. However, with the nature of information reported to Carfax, there will be limitations on the accuracy of the details that go into their database.
Other details relating to an accident that may feature in Carfax include the repairs done under insurance claims. On the contrary, an individual undertaking these repairs on their budget will not capture them and include them in Carfax.
If someone opts to fix their car for themselves and reports this to an independent body shop, Carfax will not have this information. Also, if you wreck your car and write a check to the repairer, there will be no record. This is because a body shop reporting such might run into privacy issues on attempting to report your transactions.
As a buyer’s tool, Carfax usually stores the accident information to enable the buyer to know what the vehicle has been through and make an informed purchase decision. This includes the insurance information comprising the number of accidents the vehicle was involved in and the structural and body damages and repairs.
Also, if there were any manufacturing recalls, the report will capture them. Thus, like all the other information on the internet, this information will stand long after the purchase or the close of an investigation.
What Is Considered a Minor Damage on Carfax?
Knowing the extent of damage a car sustained in case of an accident before purchase will help you make an informed purchase decision. The good news is that a Carfax report will capture this detail in the Damage Severity Scale.
According to Carfax, scratches, dings, and scrapes on the vehicle’s body are considered are minor damages. The Damage Severity Scale comprises of two scales that display the extent of damage the car sustained. The first scale shows how bad the damage was, and the second one shows a graphic of where the damage was. While Carfax defines minor damages in the above way, insurance companies recommend that you dig deeper into the details if you have concerns or questions about the report.
Generally, you should be concerned about a Carfax report that states the car has minor damage, yet it also highlights that the vehicle was immobilized, injuries were reported, and the vehicle had to be towed out of the accident scene. Such factors usually indicate a more serious scene and should not be ignored.
What Can You Do if You Purchase a Faulty Vehicle From Carfax?
Carfax provides useful information about a vehicle’s details. However, it may not always provide all the vehicle details, especially if it was involved in a serious accident.
If you purchase a car involved in an accident and Carfax did not disclose this information, you should consult an accident attorney in your city. This is because if a wreck is not reported to an insurance agency, it is impossible to know the extent of the damage.
Carfax always provides the information it could collect, and the only way to tell the extent is to have a skilled mechanic inspect it. By reporting to an attorney, they can follow up on the case, and you may get the compensation you deserve.
What Other Information Can You Get From Carfax?
Carfax for police stores relevant information for investigative purposes; however, it depends on third parties to store reliable and accurate information. Therefore, what other information can you get from Carfax?
Other relevant information you can find in Carfax includes the car’s ownership history, which details the last two to three owners, their length of ownership, last reported mileage, and the countries or state where they owned the car.
You will also find the type of uses the vehicle was subjected to, whether a taxi, commercial, lease, or personal use. A Carfax report will also detail a vehicle’s Service and accident history. If the car has had accidents in the past, Carfax will document the damages and severity.
Ocassionally there may also be information about motorcycles but this isn’t always the case, as many sources don’t provide upto date information, so additional sources of information for motorcycles maybe needed.
Final Word
With an increase in crime and increased internet use, there is a need for security agencies to adapt to changing times. One way they can do this is through the use of Carfax for police. Carfax features a vehicle database that gives investigators relevant information relating to a vehicle used in crime.
To access data in Carfax for police, you need to be authorized. Through this database, you will also see up-to-date investigations and other investigators pursuing the same vehicle. In addition to its security features, Carfax also provides other details, including, ownership history, accident history, insurance details, and the states the car operated before. Thus, it is evident that vehicle crimes will reduce if officers put the Carfax for police investigation tools into use.
