2016 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 updating and automating case outcomes in state records and the FBIÂ’s Criminal History File, the Virginia State Police (VSP) will conduct three projects to contribute information available to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS). Specifically, 1) research and resolve missing dispositions; 2) transmit concealed handgun permits from the Supreme Court of Virginia (SCV) to VSP via a web services interface; and 3) complete the interface for the VSP and SCV for the entry of concealed handgun permit records into the Virginia Criminal Information Network (VCIN).

1) Research and resolve missing dispositions: VSP will continue following the missing disposition project previously initiated with NCHIP funds. The project requires two full-time employees to continue researching and resolving missing court dispositions in the Computerized Criminal History (CCH) System. The goals of the project are to: research and resolve missing dispositions through court and other judicial and law enforcement entities; research and resolve disposition errors and exceptions not applied to the CCH system via the automated workflow within the Supreme Court of Virginia (SCV) Interface; apply timely disposition updates and modifications in CCH; increase the disposition reporting rate for arrest records submitted to the Central Criminal Records Exchange (CCRE); and improve data quality.

2) Transmit concealed handgun permits from SCV to VSP: VSP will use NCHIP funding for programming to modify the Java code in the SCV case management system, revise the print application function and program the web services application to send concealed handgun permit data to VSP. VSP will use a contractor to program the existing case management system to store the data fields necessary to issue a handgun permit instead of deleting them, and notify the print application to retrieve the information from the case management system for printing. The permit data stored in the system will be used to send both new and renewals of issued permit data to VSP from the circuit courts. The new more developed web services application will allow the SCV to send the concealed handgun permit data daily to the VSP. The web services application will also allow the courts to apply a civil case number to each permit that then can be applied to renewals which would save considerable time for SCV and VSP from entering the data for renewals. The automation will allow SCV and VSP to have the permit data information more efficiently and effectively on a day to day basis.

3) Complete interface for the VSP and SCV entry of concealed handgun permits: NCHIP funds will be used to implement a new concealed handgun permit interface to receive data from the circuit courts to the VSP. The purchase and installment of the software will establish more effective accuracy and information quality controls of concealed handgun permits issued by the circuit courts and transmitted to the VCIN. (CA/NCF)