NCJ Number
129179
Date Published
1991
Length
155 pages
Annotation
Written for law enforcement and other criminal justice professionals and students, this volume provides a comprehensive, nontechnical introduction to all existing and planned systems of automated criminal records gathering and dissemination.
Abstract
An overview provides a history of record-keeping systems used by law enforcement agencies, the problems faced by automated crime information systems, and the reasons why law enforcement professionals need to understand computer security and laws covering privacy, security, and unauthorized access to data. Additional chapters describe the National Crime Information Center and its two subsystems, the Automated Identification System and the Interstate Identification Index; the development and operation of automated fingerprint identification systems; criminal justice information systems; and law enforcement telecommunication systems. Further chapters explain other computer software applications designed for use in law enforcement; laws on privacy and security; the impact of computer crime on automated systems; and guidelines on physical, hardware, software, and personnel security. Figures, checklists, glossary, index, appended descriptions of new techniques, and 41 references