South Dakota FY2013 NCHIP Application

The goal of the National Criminal History Improvement Program (NCHIP) is to improve the Nation's safety and security by enhancing the quality, completeness, and accessibility of criminal history record information and by insuring the nationwide implementation of criminal justice and noncriminal justice background check systems. BJS provides direct financial and technical assistance to the states to improve criminal history and other related records and to build their infrastructure to connect to national record check systems both to supply information and to conduct the requisite checks.

The NCHIP Administering agency, the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI), located within the South Dakota Office of the Attorney General, will use NCHIP funds to partially support (90% of time) personnel and fringe benefits costs for two FTE positions in the Identification Section to continue to maintain timely, accurate, and complete criminal history records at the South Dakota criminal repository. Grant-funded staff will be responsible for assisting with NICS checks, processing criminal arrest fingerprint cards, reconciling III errors and reports received from the State Penitentiary and Unified Judicial System (UJS), and processing civilian fingerprint-based background checks. The staff will also maintain and perform audits for non-criminal justice agencies that have enabling legislation to conduct national fingerprint-based searches for employment reasons and train, audit, and educate these agencies to ensure compliance with federal regulations. Additionally, the staff will monitor the accuracy of disposition data entered into the UJS's new web-based court record system, Odyssey. FY 2013 NCHIP funding will support DCI's continued efforts to maintain timely, accurate, and complete criminal history records to the state repository for subsequent entry into the national systems and prevent records backlogs from occurring. CA/NCF