Alaska's Program to Improve the Completeness and Accuracy of Criminal History Records

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 the FY 18 NCHIP project, the Alaska Department of Public Safety (DPS) will conduct two projects.

Under project 1, the Alaska DPS will digitize their paper criminal history records to improve the accuracy and availability of records for information request. By law, a firearms purchase may be delayed for 72 hours to resolve questions. However, since the majority of Alaska’s criminal history records are physical, they often cannot be provided within the three day holding period and before the transaction proceeds. This has created a significant gap in accessing reported information and creates an opportunity for a lapse in a person's ability to legally acquire a firearm. Currently, DPS estimates that there are approximately 477 standard file boxes with average of 3,000 sheets per box, and 1,161 extra capacity boxes with average 4,500 per box in the DPS archive. DPS will continue to use the image archive system previously developed to store and integrate the digital images of all of the paper archives with other needed systems.

Under project 2, DPS will sub-award funds to the Alaska Court System to focus on the electronic capture, automation, and availability of complete and accurate criminal dispositions, including misdemeanor domestic violence convictions, and mental health records for submission by DPS to Interstate Identification Index and NICS.

(CA/NCF)