Chapter 1
The Crime Beat: Crime Computers
By Dave Krajicek

Law enforcers share information through crime information computers. Once disparaged as woefully unreliable, these computerized systems have improved with technological advances. Journalists should be familiar with them.

The National Crime Information Center is the FBI's computerized index of criminal justice information, including criminal records and details about wanted persons, missing persons and certain stolen property.

Based in Clarksburg, W. Va., the NCIC makes records available via computer link at all times to federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. The NCIC maintains records on stolen or wanted vehicles, license plates, boats and guns, as well as stolen securities, including cash, bank notes, stocks, bonds and travelers checks. The national center also maintains records on suspected terrorists and gang members.

Every state has a comparable computerized crime information clearinghouse.

According to the FBI, "The purpose for maintaining the NCIC system of records is to provide a computerized data base for ready access by a criminal justice agency making an inquiry and for prompt disclosure of information in the system from other criminal justice agencies about crimes and criminals. This information assists authorized agencies in criminal justice objectives, such as apprehending fugitives, locating missing persons, locating and returning stolen property, as well as in the protection of the law enforcement officers encountering the individuals described in the system."

The information is "for the official use of authorized officials" of federal,
state and city governments, U.S. possessions and territories, penal institutions and certain foreign governments. (For example, missing person information is available to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.) Members of Congress have access to NCIC information when acting "at the request of the individual who is the subject of the record."

The NCIC guidelines state, "Information may be released to the news media and the public…unless it is determined that release of the specific information in the context of a particular case would constitute an unwarranted invasion of personal privacy."

For more, visit: http://www.fas.org/irp/agency/doj/fbi/is/ncic.htm