Uncover More Leads with Less Info: Mastering Wildcard Searches in CrimeTracer

Your CrimeTracer login opens access to over a billion different data sources. As part of a series of helpful tips and tricks to make the most of your searches, here are some ways to enhance searching with wildcard characters.

In the world of investigations, time is precious and information is often incomplete. Whether it’s a partial name, a fuzzy date of birth, or just a few digits from a license plate, one missing detail shouldn’t be a dead end. That’s where the power of wildcard characters in CrimeTracer comes into play.

CrimeTracer is built to work the way real investigators think—quickly, flexibly, and intuitively. Our wildcard search tools are designed to help you find leads even when your data is partial or uncertain.

Need help with your CrimeTracer Login? Email CrimeTracer Customer Support at crimetracer.support@soundthinking.com

What Are Wildcard Characters?

Wildcards are special characters used in search fields to stand in for unknown letters or numbers. In CrimeTracer, two wildcard characters are especially useful:

• Asterisk (*) – Represents any number of characters, including none.
• Question mark (?) – Represents a single unknown character.

Using these simple tools, you can turn a vague clue into a valuable lead.

Searching Names with Wildcards

Names are often misheard, misspelled, or partially remembered. Let’s say you’re looking for someone whose last name might be “Thompson” but you only know it starts with “Thom”.

Instead of guessing or running dozens of separate searches, try:

Thom*

This will return results like “Thompson,” “Thomson,” “Thompkins,” and more.

If you’re not sure about one letter in the name—maybe it’s “Brian” or “Bryan”—use the question mark:

Br?an

Now you’ll see both variations in one search.

Finding Partial Dates of Birth

You may only know someone was born in May 1985, but not the exact date. CrimeTracer lets you search like this:

05/*/1985

This will return all records where the DOB falls in May 1985, regardless of the specific day.

If you’re unsure of a single digit—maybe you think the birth year is 1985 but aren’t sure if it’s 1985 or 1986—try:

05/*/198?

The question mark gives you flexibility while still narrowing your results.

Decoding License Plate Clues

License plates are frequently mis-recorded or only partially visible. If you captured just the last four digits, such as “293B”, your search could look like:

*293B

You’ll get any matches where “293B” appears at the end of the plate, regardless of the beginning. If one character in the middle is missing, you could try:

12?4XYZ

That will catch slight variations without you needing the exact plate number.

Smarter Searches = Faster Breakthroughs

Using wildcard characters in CrimeTracer gives you the ability to search smarter, not harder. Whether you’re chasing leads late at night or connecting details in the field, partial information doesn’t have to be a setback.

When every second matters and every detail counts, CrimeTracer helps you stay one step ahead. Try out wildcard searches today and discover just how far a “maybe” can take you.

Want to see it in action? Log into CrimeTracer and experiment with different wildcard combinations—or contact our support team for personalized tips on using advanced search tools in your investigations.

Interested in Learning more about becoming a CrimeTracer user? Contact us to learn how.