Delaware's FY 2015 NCHIP Initiative

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.

Under the 2015 NCHIP priority areas, the Delaware State Police, State Bureau of Identification (SBI) will provided needed enhancement to their case management system as well as providing proper updates in the criminal history file system to accurately reflect the pardon process.

While the current case management system housed at SBI meets the needs of the state, enhancements are needed to allow the system to capture and process data for investigative purposes and forward information to the FBI's database. Funds are being requested for SBI to build an interface between its case management system and the FBI's Next Generation Identification (NGI) system. The data will be captured at point of entry, one time, to ensure accuracy and data completeness. DELJIS, the state's criminal justice agency that developed the state's integrated criminal justice system, will oversee the work performed by the contractual staff. Tasks will include program review and analysis, data structure and creation, program design and development, as well as program testing and review.

SBI is also proposing a project to enhance the process of tracking and determining where the pardon process is within the law enforcement community and ensure the Board of Pardon is aware that an applicant is not wanted or obtained new charges. The first step an individual must take in the pardon process is to obtain a copy of his/her criminal records from SBI. Researching records for this purpose is currently performed manually and is very labor intensive. Funds are being requested to create a screen in SBI's criminal history database for the Board of Pardons to enter when an individual is tentatively scheduled to appear before the Board and for SBI staff to perform periodic checks on where the application is in the system and check whether or not the individual is wanted or received new charges since the application has been filed. DELJIS will build special queries to the system so the Board and authorized users are able to see where the application is within the criminal justice process; and DELJIS will create and implement a special inquiry that the law enforcement and criminal justice will have access to without the confusion of whether a pardon was granted or if the pardon will result in an expungement. Once completed the new database design will be compatible with the existing systems used by law enforcement. The Pardon process will be enhanced to ensure the relevant disposition in the Interstate Identification Index (III) is updated upon data transmission to SBI. Currently, there is a delay in the process due to errors in the reporting process. This process will help reduce the errors and records that have received a pardon will be handled in III. If the record is subsequently expunged the Board of Pardons will be notified as well as the courts.

CA/NCF