Nevada Criminal History Bureau, Livescan Replacement Project

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 Nevada Department of Public Safety (DPS), the state's NCHIP administering agency, will pass through funds to the DPS Records Bureau (the state repository) to help ensure the Records Bureau continues to receive nearly all criminal arrest records electronically from Nevada law enforcement agencies for submission through the Western Identification Network's AFIS and to the FBI's Integrated AFIS (IAFIS) and its replacement, the Next Generation Identification. Approximately 99% of Nevada's criminal arrest fingerprint submissions are submitted via Livescan to the Records Bureau and are subsequently forwarded to the FBI's IAFIS within 24 hours of the arrest event. In calendar year 2007, the DPS Records Bureau purchased 23 Livescan devices for Sheriffs' Offices and booking stations statewide, funded from the Records Bureau's budgetary reserves. In October 2013, the Records Bureau became aware that the Livescan devices were running on Windows XP, and that Microsoft had announced End of Life (EOL) for XP operating systems on April 8, 2014. Records Bureau staff subsequently began assessing the impact to the availability of arrest records should this EOL support interrupt the transmission of criminal fingerprints to the State Repository. During the assessment, it was discovered that the Livescan devices contained fingerprint image scanner hardware is not compatible with Windows 7. Additionally, the cabinets that currently house the Livescan equipment will not facilitate the newer style scanners thus making an upgrade to anything newer than the Windows XP version not technically feasible. To ensure the uninterrupted and timely submission of fingerprints to the FBI, the Records Bureau will use funds to purchase 10 Livescan units and accessories for placement in targeted Probation and Parole and Department of Corrections locations to assist Nevada in its efforts to electronically transmit the intake and supervision fingerprints of offenders to NCIC/III, resulting in improved access, timeliness, and completeness of criminal history records. (CA/NCF)