FY 2023 National Criminal History Improvement Program (NCHIP) Grant

The Oregon State Police will use funds to replace or provide new livescan devices at police departments and sheriff’s offices/jails that have reached end-of-life or to implement livescan equipment for the first time, to replace ink and paper used by agencies to record and report their arrest data to the state repository. Livescan technology continues to be one of the most significant tools available today for efficient, effective, and timely criminal justice record keeping. While the overall cost to maintain this equipment has decreased over the years, funding for agencies that rely on this equipment to conduct their criminal justice functions continues to be tight and at times simply not available to meet their basic needs. This project supports local agencies’ obligation to submit fingerprint, palm print, and arrest photos to the state repository through assistance in obtaining equipment to sustain their operations. Once reported at the repository level, fingerprint-based records are the backbone of the criminal history file which is used by all facets of the criminal justice system state and nationwide. The CCH file supports officer safety, release and sentencing decisions and public safety in general. In addition to criminal justice uses, criminal offender records are the foundation for various state and national background checks for non-criminal justice applicant and regulatory programs that by design are intended to help keep the public safe. For example, background checks to determine if a person is disqualified prior to the transfer of a firearm through a licensed dealer or between private parties.