State of Wisconsin FY16 NCHIP

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 2016 NCHIP priority area 1, for ensuring compatibility with federal record systems and implementing integrated system strategies that interface all components of the criminal justice system, the Wisconsin Department of Justice (WIDOJ) will provide subgrants to expand the eReferral Interface Implementation projects in various local jurisdictions throughout the state and the 2016 project will build on those successes. The eReferral project is in collaboration with the WIÂ’s District Attorney IT Program which has helped prioritize the locations and agencies for implementing the eReferral system. Approximately 80% of referrals for prosecution from law enforcement agencies to the DA's office are still process manually which increases the probability for errors in completing and delivering the referral documents to the DA's office.

The eReferral project focuses on developing export capabilities in each of the major law enforcement records management systems in use in the state to produce the same Global Justice XML-compliant data for consumption by the DAIT eReferral web service. The project will help establish the lowest cost options that can be replicated across the agencies that use the same records management system. By automating referral information from law enforcement to the prosecutorsÂ’ case management systems and including the electronic transfer of the Arrest Tracking Number (ATN), it will further enhance firearm background check systems and data sharing programs to synchronize the ATN and State Identification Number (SID) between DOJ, state case management system, and the Consolidated Court Access Program (CCAP).

The implementation will cover two phases. The first Implementation Phase will include local law enforcement agencies that have already been identified based on discussion between WIDOJ, DA IT, local law enforcement and DAÂ’s offices, and vendors. The second Implementation Phase will prioritize the funding to agencies that can support the ATN, have the largest volume of referrals, and are able to submit all associated document electronically with a referral. (CA/NCF)