Federal Fugitives: More Timely Entry on National Wanted Person File Is Needed

• NCJ Number: 166877
• Author(s): D C Harris; C Trisler; A Goldberg; P V Williams; D Alexander
• Date Published: 1996
• Length: 28 pages
• Corporate Author: US Government Accountability Office
• Sale Source: Azimuth Inc.; NCJRS Photocopy Services
• Publication Type: Survey
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

After noting many entries in the wanted person file of the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) were made long after the issuance of arrest warrants, the General Accounting Office (GAO) analyzed Federal fugitive records in the file as of April 1994, conducted interviews with law enforcement agencies, and reviewed documents of these agencies.

Abstract

The GAO focused on the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS), the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF), and the U.S. Customs Service. These agencies accounted for 22,903 (78 percent) of the 29,339 Federal fugitive records in the wanted person file and were the principal fugitive-hunting agencies. The FBI, INS, USMS, ATF, and the Customs Service all believed that the NCIC wanted person file enhanced the likelihood of a fugitive's apprehension and avoided endangering the general public and law enforcement officers. The FBI and USMS required entry in the file within 24 hours after an arrest warrant was issued, while ATF allowed up to 10 days for entry if the delay served a valid law enforcement purpose. The Customs Service required entry after reasonable efforts to locate the fugitive had failed, and INS had no policy on how soon fugitive data had to be entered. Despite these criteria, many FBI, USMS, ATF, and Customs Service fugitives were entered in the wanted person file long after their arrests had been authorized. Generally, the FBI, USMS, ATF, and Customs Service had limited information or lacked overall information on entry times, including reasons why so many entries were made after the prescribed deadline. All agencies expressed concern about GAO findings and said they would take necessary actions to address the matter. The GAO determined the NCIC and its participating agencies need to have clear written policies on immediate entry, compliance monitoring, and exceptions. Appendixes contain additional information on the GAO analysis and data on entry times for fugitive records in the NCIC wanted person file as of April 1994. 8 tables and 2 figures