Award Information
Description of original award (Fiscal Year 2015, $281,880)
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.
The South Dakota Office of the Attorney General, Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) serves as the State Administering Agency (SAA) and has been designated by the Governor as the NCHIP applicant. Under the 2015 priority area of updating and automating case outcomes in state records and the FBI's Criminal History File, the DCI will conduct two continuation projects for 1) completing background checks with new workflow areas; and 2) purchasing six Livescans.
The DCI will employ two full-time employees (FTE) to continue to be responsible for the increase in background checks completed. South Dakota's legislature mandates that each year more and more entities need to complete the fingerprint checks prior to employment. In addition, in 2014 legislature passed requiring individuals diagnosed with certain mental health illnesses to be added to the NICS Index. Mental Health boards throughout the state now send DCI qualifying mental health individual records to be entered in the NICS Index. The two FTEs are responsible for the development and maintenance of this new workflow. In 2015, the SD legislature passed the first enhanced concealed carry law which requires applicants to submit fingerprints to the DCI. The two FTEs will also be responsible for the creation and development of the new concealed carry workflow.
The second project is for the purchase of six Livescan devices. Currently, the state has 36 active Livescans and many are operating on old Microsoft XP software and are requiring maintenance more frequently and are reaching end of life. DCI will evaluate the Livescans across the state and determined a phased approach to replace them. DCI will determine the locations for the 6 new Livescans in addition to 16 new printers (10 to replace older Livescans and 6 for the new Livescans) across the state.
CA/NCF