FY 2018 Delaware 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 this award, the Delaware Department of Safety and Homeland Security will sub-award funds to the Delaware State Police, State Bureau of Identification to enhance its Law Enforcement Information Sharing Service (LEISS), a client-server-based police system comprised of two primary components: complaints/incidents and warrants/arrests. LEISS requires a better way to capture data relating to misdemeanor crimes of domestic violence, crimes against the elderly, mental health related protection orders, as well as the use of weapons incidents.

Other enhancements will be made to LEISS involving changes in reporting crime records that are transmitted to both NICS and the Interstate Identification Index (III). A critical enhancement for this initiative will be the inclusion of mug shots. When an officer is preparing a warrant request or arrest on an individual, they will be able to confirm the person’s identity via the mugshot photo. These upgrades will help with the accurate and timely reporting of criminal history information to local law enforcement and other partner agencies.

(CA/NCF)