NCJ Number
179389
Journal
Law Enforcement Technology Volume: 26 Issue: 10 Dated: October 1999 Pages: 98-100
Date Published
October 1999
Length
3 pages
Annotation
Through its National Crime Information Center (NCIC), the FBI is in the process of creating a system that will allow the sharing of photos among agencies nationwide.
Abstract
Today if a name entered by a State trooper from a patrol car produces a "hit" from NCIC 2000, there is a person on file who matches some or all of the criteria in the inquiry. Date of birth, height, weight, hair color, and eye color may seem to match the suspect in question. Still, system users report they cannot be absolutely sure that a match has been made. A picture coming back would permit a quicker decision on whether a match has occurred. The software and hardware exists to permit the transmission and reception of photos online; however, most police agencies do not have it. This article describes the computer hardware and software it must have to take advantage of NCIC capabilities. Capabilities of NCIC 2000 also will allow sharing of photos other than mugshots among agencies. Police will be able to take a transmission of a photograph through the mobile computer via the in-car camera and then transmit that back to any dispatch point or command post. The embedding of some of that information in various files is allowable by NCIC 2000.