Nebraska State Patrol FY18 NARIP

The NICS Improvement Amendments Act of 2007, P. L. 110-180 ("NIAA"), was initially signed into law by the President on January 8, 2008 (reauthorized by Title VI of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2018, P.L. 115-141). The NIAA amends the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act of 1993 ("the Brady Act") (Pub. L. 103-159), under which the Attorney General established the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS). The Brady Act requires Federal Firearms Licensees (FFLs) to contact the NICS before transferring a firearm to an unlicensed person for information on whether the proposed transferee is prohibited from receiving or possessing a firearm under state or federal law. The NIAA authorizes grants to be made in a manner consistent with the National Criminal History Improvement Program (NCHIP).

Under the NARIP FY 2018 project, the Nebraska State Patrol (NSP) will conduct three projects: 1) Nebraska NICS Record Improvement Program; 2) Misdemeanor Crime of Domestic Violence (MCDV) Automated Reporting Project; and 3) Protection Order Project.

Under Project 1, the NSP will continue to employ the program manager secured with 2016 NARIP funds. This program manager coordinates efforts among agencies and has developed a plan to measure progress and results. Further, the program manager will continue to engage in outreach to areas of tribal law enforcement, prosecuting attorneys, state correctional facilities, and parole agencies, targeting well-established groups and representatives. The purpose of the task force is to assess completeness and availability of NICS records and ensure all relevant records are being reported.

Under Project 2, NSP has made considerable strides in automating their qualifying records for misdemeanor crimes of domestic violence (MCDV). Specifically, the new domestic violence system implemented by the state will automatically submit records to NICS while the historical records will still need to be entered. A recent analysis of such records in Nebraska has identified approximately 20,000 historical misdemeanor MCDV records for potential entry into NICS. This project will improve automation and reduce gaps in reporting.

Under Project 3, NSP will continue to develop and enhance the capabilities of the Protection Order Portal. The portal currently has included several features in its development stages, but still faces a significant reporting issue. The inclusion of Douglas County records into National Crime Information Center (NCIC) Protection Order File will ensure that Nebraska will reach, and perhaps exceed, the goal of a 90% entry-rate statewide. Making these records available nationally is critical due to the volume of protection order records being issued in Douglas County, and the quantity of existing records available for entry.

(CA/NCF)