Final Wisconsin county completes statewide WI-VINE

MADISON, Wis., April 22, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Racine County has become the final county in Wisconsin to implement the victim notification system known as VINE^® (Victim Information and Notification Everyday). As a result, beginning April 22, 2013 all 72 Wisconsin county jails will now provide communities throughout the state with access to the WI-VINE service.

Through WI-VINE, crime victims, concerned citizens, law enforcement and victim service providers can check on the status of an offender 24 hours a day, seven days a week by calling Wisconsin VINE at (888) 944-8463 or online at www.vinelink.us. They can also register to be automatically notified when there is a change in that offender's custody status. The service is free and anonymous.

"Individuals and communities throughout the state are safer as a result of the effective partnership forged between the Department of Corrections and the Badger State Sheriffs Association in bringing VINE to Wisconsin," said WI-VINE Program Manager Pam Brandon. "WI-VINE affords every county in the state the opportunity to lessen or avoid the devastating human and considerable economic costs related to criminal behavior."

In April 2009 Marinette County became the first Wisconsin county to offer WI-VINE.  Since that time, utilization of the WI-VINE service has been noteworthy:

• 34,475 registrations
• 747,896 site searches
• 28,341 confirmed phone events
• 27,331 successful email deliveries

WI-VINE was originally funded through a $1.2 million SAVIN grant from the U.S. Department of Justice. Ongoing annual funding was subsequently approved in the Governor's 2011-13 Biennial Budget. Ms. Brandon said she is also pleased that beginning in June 2013 the WI-VINE service will be enhanced with the addition of VINE Protective Order (VPO), a service which notifies petitioners when a protective order has been served by local law enforcement. 

The VINE service – available in 47 states – was created in 1994 by Louisville-based Appriss Inc. in response to the 1993 murder of Mary Byron, a local woman who was shot to death on her 21^st birthday by her ex-boyfriend. He had been jailed for raping her and was released without her knowledge.

About Appriss Inc.
Appriss keeps communities safe and informed by using innovate technology to provide a suite of products that inform crime victims of an offender's status (VINE^®); help police catch criminals (JusticeXchange^®); improve traffic safety and make crash reports available online (BuyCrash); and prevent the illegal sale of pseudoephedrine to help reduce the number of meth labs (NPLEx™).

Appriss also provides smartphone apps for sheriffs' offices to help them communicate more effectively with their communities. The app is provided at no cost to sheriffs who offer VINE.

For more information visit www.appriss.com.     

SOURCE Appriss