5-07/110.30 - Want Entries

All want entries are to be approved by the detective Bureau Commander, or in his absence the Watch Commander, before entry into CWS.  A want entry shall not be created when a warrant has been issued.  The convention for creating want numbers shall be as follows:

• The first four characters shall be "WANT;"
• The next three characters shall be the first three characters of the CLETS mnemonic of the Station/Unit, e.g., "TEM" for Temple Station; and
• The last six characters are available for the continuous sequencing of wants created by the entering Station/Unit.  It is suggested that the URN sequential be used, followed by a number from 0-9 to indicate multiple suspects.

The following is the minimal information required to enter a want into CWS:

• Want Number;
• Issue date;
• Suspect's name;
• Sex;
• Date of birth;
• Charge and type (at least one charge must be a felony);
• Contact person and phone number; and
• Purge date (programmably entered for 30 days if not manually entered).

The following information is required in addition to the above if the want is to be entered into the Wanted Persons System (WPS):

• Race code;
• Height; and
• Weight.

WPS want entries are purged after 48-72 hours.

The originating agency case (OCA) number (truncated URN) is required in addition to the CWS and WPS entry criteria if the want is to be entered into the National Crime Information Center (NCIC).

NCIC want entries are purged after 48 hours.

Want information is held in CWS for 90 days, unless the investigating officer extends the purge date with the approval of the detective Bureau Commander, or in his absence, the Watch Commander.