NCJ Number
207076
Date Published
June 2003
Length
30 pages
Annotation
This report describes the operation of the Regional Information Sharing Systems (RISS) Program for the year 2002.
Abstract
The RISS Program is a communications and information sharing network serving over 6,300 local, State, Federal, and tribal law enforcement members in the United States, as well as in Australia, Canada, and England. There are six regional RISS centers that provide tailored support services designed to aid member agencies in the investigation and prosecution of narcotics trafficking, organized crime, violent crime, cybercrime, terrorism, and gang activity. During 2002, there was increased interest in anti-terrorism services, leading to the September 2002 interconnection of the RISS secure intranet (riss.net) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) Law Enforcement Online (LEO) as a source of unclassified but sensitive homeland security information. The RISS Anti-Terrorism Information Exchange (ATIX) was also initiated in 2002 to foster secure information exchange concerning terrorism and disasters. The resources available on riss.net are described and the security features of riss.net are reviewed. Many agency systems are integrated with riss.net, including the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas, the State Agency Systems, as well as many other regional and Federal systems. The RISS general operations, membership, and service activity are reviewed; services include information sharing, analytical consultation, long distance telecommunication, confidential funds disbursement, and loans of investigative equipment. Results of member agency investigations aided by RISS support services are provided and include case examples on criminal intelligence database support, analytical support, confidential funds support, investigative equipment loan, and publication and training support. The RISS Program continues to respond to the growing needs of the law enforcement community in their duty to combat criminal conspiracies and activities. Exhibits