National Crime Information Center
Encyclopedia
The National Crime Information Center (NCIC) is the United States' central database
for tracking crime-related information. Since 1967, the NCIC has been maintained by the Federal Bureau of Investigation
's Criminal Justice Information Services Division
, and is interlinked with similar systems that each state maintains. Data is received from federal law enforcement agencies, state and local law enforcement agencies, as well as tribal law enforcement agencies
, railroad police
, and non-law enforcement agencies, such as state and federal motor vehicle registration and licensing authorities
.
. The purpose of the system was to create a centralized information system to facilitate information flow between the numerous law enforcement branches. The original infrastructure cost is estimated to have been over $180 million. In the mid-1990s, the program went through an upgrade from the legacy system to the current NCIC 2000 system. A 1993 GAO
estimate concluded that in addition to the costs of the upgrades, the FBI would need to spend an additional $2 billion to update its computer system to allow all users workstation access.
Personal records:
Property records:
has raised concerns over the validity of information in the NCIC database. The FBI had the administrative authority to ensure the accuracy of the information provided in the database, but was discharged from this role by the Department of Justice
in 2003.
Database
A database is an organized collection of data for one or more purposes, usually in digital form. The data are typically organized to model relevant aspects of reality , in a way that supports processes requiring this information...
for tracking crime-related information. Since 1967, the NCIC has been maintained by the Federal Bureau of Investigation
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
's Criminal Justice Information Services Division
Criminal Justice Information Services Division
The Criminal Justice Information Services Division is a division of the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation . The CJIS was established in February 1992 and it is the largest division in the FBI....
, and is interlinked with similar systems that each state maintains. Data is received from federal law enforcement agencies, state and local law enforcement agencies, as well as tribal law enforcement agencies
Indian tribal police
Indian tribal police are peace officers hired by those Native American tribes which have a constitutional government on Reservations, as opposed to hereditary chiefs...
, railroad police
Railroad police
Railroad police are different from one country to another. Their roles in some countries are not different from that of any other police agency in others they are more related to a type of security police. They are all commonly responsible for the protection of railroad vast networks of...
, and non-law enforcement agencies, such as state and federal motor vehicle registration and licensing authorities
Department of Motor Vehicles
In the United States of America, a Department of Motor Vehicles is a state-level government agency that administers vehicle registration and driver licensing. Similar departments exist in Canada...
.
History
The NCIC database was created in 1967 under FBI director J. Edgar HooverJ. Edgar Hoover
John Edgar Hoover was the first Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation of the United States. Appointed director of the Bureau of Investigation—predecessor to the FBI—in 1924, he was instrumental in founding the FBI in 1935, where he remained director until his death in 1972...
. The purpose of the system was to create a centralized information system to facilitate information flow between the numerous law enforcement branches. The original infrastructure cost is estimated to have been over $180 million. In the mid-1990s, the program went through an upgrade from the legacy system to the current NCIC 2000 system. A 1993 GAO
Gao
Gao is a town in eastern Mali on the River Niger lying ESE of Timbuktu. Situated on the left bank of the river at the junction with the Tilemsi valley, it is the capital of the Gao Region and had a population of 86,663 in 2009....
estimate concluded that in addition to the costs of the upgrades, the FBI would need to spend an additional $2 billion to update its computer system to allow all users workstation access.
Records
The NCIC makes available a variety of records to be used for law enforcement and security purposes. These records are made up of a variety of forms of personal and property records.Personal records:
- Convicted sex offenders
- Criminal conviction records
- Foreign fugitivesFugitivesThe Fugitives were a group of poets and literary scholars who came together at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, United States, around 1920. They published a small literary magazine called The Fugitive from 1922-1925 which showcased their works...
- ImmigrationImmigrationImmigration is the act of foreigners passing or coming into a country for the purpose of permanent residence...
violators - Missing personMissing personA missing person is a person who has disappeared for usually unknown reasons.Missing persons' photographs may be posted on bulletin boards, milk cartons, postcards, and websites, along with a phone number to be contacted if a sighting has been made....
s - Parolees or people on supervised release
- Persons with active arrest warrants
- Persons with active protection orders
- Secret ServiceUnited States Secret ServiceThe United States Secret Service is a United States federal law enforcement agency that is part of the United States Department of Homeland Security. The sworn members are divided among the Special Agents and the Uniformed Division. Until March 1, 2003, the Service was part of the United States...
protective alerts - Terrorist organizations and membership
- Unidentified human remains information
- Violent gangGangA gang is a group of people who, through the organization, formation, and establishment of an assemblage, share a common identity. In current usage it typically denotes a criminal organization or else a criminal affiliation. In early usage, the word gang referred to a group of workmen...
organizations and membership
Property records:
- Firearms records, including lost or missing firearms
- Stolen, embezzled or counterfeit securities
- Stolen property
- Stolen vehicle and boat parts
- Stolen vehicles and boats
Validity
The Electronic Privacy Information CenterElectronic Privacy Information Center
Electronic Privacy Information Center is a public interest research group in Washington, D.C. It was established in 1994 to focus public attention on emerging civil liberties issues and to protect privacy, the First Amendment, and constitutional values in the information age...
has raised concerns over the validity of information in the NCIC database. The FBI had the administrative authority to ensure the accuracy of the information provided in the database, but was discharged from this role by the Department of Justice
United States Department of Justice
The United States Department of Justice , is the United States federal executive department responsible for the enforcement of the law and administration of justice, equivalent to the justice or interior ministries of other countries.The Department is led by the Attorney General, who is nominated...
in 2003.
See also
- Criminal Justice Information Services DivisionCriminal Justice Information Services DivisionThe Criminal Justice Information Services Division is a division of the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation . The CJIS was established in February 1992 and it is the largest division in the FBI....
- Interstate Identification IndexInterstate Identification IndexThe Interstate Identification Index or III is a national index of criminal histories in the United States of America, maintained by the Federal Bureau of Investigation...
Further reading
- NCIC FBI - About NCIC
- NCIC summary page from the Federation of American ScientistsFederation of American ScientistsThe Federation of American Scientists is a nonpartisan, 501 organization intent on using science and scientific analysis to attempt make the world more secure. FAS was founded in 1945 by scientists who worked on the Manhattan Project to develop the first atomic bombs...