Rhode Island Criminal History Improvement Program

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 Rhode Island Public Safety Grant Administration Office (PSGAO) is located with the Department of Public Safety and is the state's NCHIP administering agency. The Rhode Island State Police is the FBI designated Criminal Justice Information Systems (CJIS) agency. In the role of CJIS Systems Agency (CSA), the Rhode Island State Police maintain and support the Rhode Island Law Enforcement Telecommunications System (RILETS). RILETS provides criminal justice network services to 72 state criminal justice agencies including law enforcement agencies, a tribal law enforcement agency, state corrections, state courts, state probation, and other state and federal criminal justice agencies within the state. The RILETS network and associated software applications are used to securely connect criminal justice users with a variety of local, state, regional and national data sources, including: FBI CJIS National Crime Information Center (NCIC); Rhode Island Sex Offender System; FBI CJIS Next Generation Identification System; Interstate Identification Index (III); the International Justice and Public Safety Network (Nlets) access; Rhode Island Courts data exchange interface (JLINK); and Rhode Island's in-state police records management data sharing initiative, "Cross Agency."

Under this award, funds will be used to purchase 3 replacement switch servers with new technology blade servers to support the RILETS system to improve the system's efficiency and enhance the state's efforts to comply with enhancements recommended by the FBI, such as full participation in III; and 2) Support court personnel efforts to enter and process criminal history records and research missing dispositions. Specifically, funds will support a full-time staff position assigned to the Providence County Superior Court to process and enter criminal case data including verifying felony cases, researching and updating missing dispositions, and entering warrants. This position will process approximately 12,500 records and entries during the project period. These records will be available at the national level for NICS checks. Funds will also support overtime efforts in 4 courts to research and resolve missing dispositions. Approximately 3,000 records will be updated during the project period and all records will be available during NICS background checks. (CA/NCF)