Tools D: Criminal Justice Information Services

Provide timely and relevant criminal justice services to the FBI and to authorized law enforcement, criminal justice, civilian, academic, employment, and licensing agencies.

Other Information:

Situation: The CJIS Division was established to provide nationwide criminal justice information services. To meet expected increases in future demand due to programs such as civil fingerprint-based background checks for employment and licensing, and border entry activities to detect terrorists attempting to enter the United States, CJIS needs to significantly increase its systems’ capacity. Future fingerprint requirements are pushing towards immediate, instantaneous responses. Additionally, law enforcement’s daily NCIC transactions have significantly increased. These and other increasing demands call for the “next generation” of CJIS systems. Automation and computer technology necessarily require constant upgrading and enhancement if such systems are to remain viable and flexible in response to changing customer requirements. As a general rule, computer capabilities double in performance every two years. Software companies constantly upgrade and enhance their software to accommodate the improved hardware. At some point, early technology versions will not work with newer hardware or software. This will result in an expensive retooling of the entire system. Inevitably, if a computer system is to remain viable, reliable, and able to meet growing customer demands, technology systems must continually upgrade. Improving technology will also include expanding Internet usage. The transmission over the Internet of fingerprint images, Criminal History Reports (CHRs), crime statistics, gun checks, etc., provides all agencies the ability to benefit from information sharing at a lower cost than a dedicated Wide Area Network (WAN). This is an area that the CJIS Division will explore for future use. The Law Enforcement OnLine (LEO) system has tremendous potential to meet law enforcement’s growing requirements for Internet connectivity and information sharing. While LEO has been able to operate and provide an acceptable level of service, it will need to be enhanced to meet future demands. A critical external issue that negatively impacts the CJIS is CHR accuracy. Half of the CHRs do not have a final disposition (e.g., conviction or dismissal). This impacts the quality of information provided through the fingerprint identification, NCIC, and National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) services. In the case of NICS, it consumes significant resources to retrieve dispositions in order to provide gun dealers information on an individual’s qualification to purchase a gun. In addition to the expansion of its existing services, CJIS is embarking on a major new endeavor relating to information sharing between different FBI, law enforcement, and civilian databases and information services in a manner that provides richer and more relevant information to its customers. When developed, the system will provide the ability for a single query to profile all of an individual’s contacts with law enforcement. By tracking crime in real time and presenting it in a graphic representation, law enforcement can improve its analysis of criminal and terrorist activities and discern connections that previously would have been impossible.

Objective(s):

T D.1: Information Sharing Capabilities

T D.2: NIBRS

T D.3: Background Checks

T D.4: IAFIS

T D.5: CJIS Internet Services

T D.6: LEO

T D.7: Business Continuity Plan

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