Partnership
Hillsborough County Sheriff鈥檚 Office
In Fall 2023, IDEx partnered with the Hillsborough County Sheriff鈥檚 Office (HCSO) Training Division to digitally curate and preserve a historical collection that holds more than 80,000 at-risk archival items, ranging from the late 19th century to the 1990s. The project involved digitizing, categorizing, and archiving correspondence, jail intake ledgers, testimonies, employee records, mugshots, and crime scene photos spanning more than a century. All the digitized items were entered into a centralized relational database which facilitates search, cross-reference, and analysis of the data, serving as an invaluable resource for investigating cold cases, studying the development of criminal justice procedures, and community histories. It is especially useful in providing new insights into the troubled years of the late 40s, 50s, and 60s. As a byproduct of the organization, capture, and curation processes, IDEx team members have been able to make preliminary connections between case documents that had been separated during the original packing of the materials.
In addition to digitizing the archival collection the IDEx team 3D scanned 78 historical artifacts, using an array of advanced digital imaging technologies, producing an online collection of 3D models including vintage uniforms and equipment. The IDEx team also created increasing accessibility to this historic venue.
