Following our announcement of the third key addition to the Lima 2.3 version update; the ability to link Multiple Cases and to also link in Evidence, we have created an In-Depth Look into the feature.

Effortlessly Link Cases and Evidence to Multiple Cases

With the introduction of Lima 2.3 in May, users will now have the ability to officially link cases together within Lima. In the Case Details tab, users will now be able to select a separate case that already exists within their Lima system, and define this as a linked case. This is useful for cases which are part of the same operation or wider investigation, and require the ability for each case to be referenced.

The process is simple and seamless. Now users will have access to the new Linked Cases tab.

Select the ‘Add Linked Case’ button and this will give you the option to find your desired case. Simply search the case reference and the list of relevant cases will appear for you to select.

After selecting the case and pressing ‘Confirm’, the case will then appear in the ‘Linked Cases’ tab as shown below. This is now an indicator that the cases are both under the same Forensic Operation.

In a similar function, users can now also have linked evidence to multiple cases. This is particularly useful in circumstances where an evidence piece was originally part of a case investigation but is now part of a new case or even a new investigation altogether.

The below screenshot shows an ‘Exhibit log’ for a case, however none of these pieces of evidence have been linked to another case. To link in an evidence piece, select the ‘Link Exhibit’ button.

Linking Evidence is done similarly to linking in a case, use the quick find tool to find the evidence you are seeking, then select the evidence and press ‘Confirm’. This should then add the evidence into the exhibit log aslong as they both hold the same classification settings.

However if the classification of the case differs from the evidence piece then the below warning will appear on your screen. This feature works to ensure that Lima runs with a continuity of evidence and only analysts with the correct permissions are able to access classified cases and exhibits. For example, this case was defined as ‘Restricted’ but the evidence was in a case previously defined as being ‘Secret’, which, on this clients Lima system, is a more confidential classification. Therefore in order to add the exhibit, the case had to be elevated to ‘Secret’ to do so. This ensures that still only the analysts with the correct permissions are able to see the contents of this piece of evidence.

With the evidence piece added to the case, there are multiple ways to determine whether a case is linked or not. On the ‘Tile view’ this can be seen by the linked symbol which you can see below as the icon next to where it says ‘ADF/1’.

Alternatively, another way to determine this is by switching from tile view to ‘Detail view’ and this will list the exhibits and say ‘yes’ or ‘no’ underneath the ‘Linked Exhibit’ heading.

Ultimately the ability to link multiple cases and evidence to other cases is another step towards improving the efficiency of managing cases on Lima. This newly improved inter-connectivity of Lima allows significant amounts of time to be saved; it eliminates the chore of having to re-enter exhibits and cases that are required in more than just the initial case.

How do I get Multiple Cases? 

Our Lima 2.3 update will be coming this May and will be available for all Lima Personal, Laboratory and Enterprise clients. With the release of our Lima Support Portal, getting Lima 2.3 will be the most simple and accessible Lima update so far. Simply navigate to the Downloads section, where the update will be available.

Stay tuned for next weeks ‘sneak peak’ into another upcoming feature to expect from the Lima 2.3 update.