DENVER -- Several police chiefs, county sheriffs and district attorneys in Colorado say the new CopLink search engine will revolutionize crime fighting the same way fingerprints did 100 years ago, or that DNA did 20 years ago.

CopLink links the criminal records from participating agencies into one database.

Member agencies said it will help investigators spot trends, develop leads and solve crimes much faster than before.

"This is really a big deal when it comes to criminal justice," said Adams County Sheriff Doug Darr.

Right now, when investigators want information from another agency, they have to get on the phone, call and ask. Sometimes a record search and response can take days.

CopLink makes all the records from all the departments available at the touch of a button.

"Frankly, we'll be able to do more in 10 minutes than we could previously do in weeks or even months," Darr added.

Six law enforcement agencies fronted $2 million to help pay for the system, which also got an earmark from the federal government.

"This is a perfect example of where an earmark request really makes sense," said Congressman Ed Perlmutter, D-Colorado.

"CopLink not only provides information, it can analyze it," said Sgt. Michelle Moriarty of the Arvada Police Department. "We used it to help solve a bank robbery."

Moriarty told 7NEWS that she tracked down a photo of the suspect. "I was able to take that photograph, that person's name and associate it with other people that he had been committing crimes with in the past."

"The bottom line is that when it comes to police work, knowledge is the most important tool that law enforcement has to stay one step ahead of criminals," said Colorado Attorney General John Suthers.

Adams County District Attorney Don Quick said CopLink is one of those quantum leaps in crime fighting technology.

"A hundred years ago it was fingerprints," Quick said. "Twenty years ago it was DNA. This year in Colorado, it's CopLink."