Award Information
Description of original award (Fiscal Year 2015, $1,423,798)
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 Tennessee Department of Finance and Administration, Office of Criminal Justice Programs will transfer funds to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) to aid in the state's efforts to improve criminal history records. Phase I of TBI's 5-year Criminal History Record Improvement (CHRI) Project sought to modernize and standardize the method that original charge data is collected from the primary booking agencies and reported to the repository. Tasks included purchasing livescans and replacing firewalls in designated county booking agencies. Phase II of the CHRI project will involve the purchase of thirty additional livescan units and the replacement of additional firewalls at local and state law enforcement agencies, and those at termination stations. A 12-month maintenance agreement will be purchased for the new livescans. Funds will also be used to rewrite the state's antiquated Computerized Criminal History application code to assist TBI with providing a more standard response to law enforcement queries, as well as more detailed and quality records to the criminal justice community and the FBI. Travel funds are being requested for staff members attend the National Association for Justice Information Systems (NAJIS) Conference, an event that focuses on criminal history record management.
CA/NCF