Florida's National Criminal History Improvement Program, FY 2019

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 NCHIP FY 2019 project, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement will use funds for the following projects:

Phase II NIEM XML:
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) will provide funding to Florida’s clerks of court to enable the court to become NIEM XML compliant. Performing this enhancement allows the clerks to submit their files to the computerized criminal history (CCH) system using the NIEM XML format created specifically for disposition data. This project continues FDLE’s efforts to improve the timely dissemination and availability of complete and accurate criminal history records. The use of NIEM XML will increase the potential for these records to be available at the time of a criminal history record check and reduce the number of records requiring additional research. This will also lower the risk of delays for employment, firearm decisions, and other criminal justice and noncriminal justice purposes.

The state of Florida has 67 counties, each with a Clerk of Court which is required to submit disposition records to FDLE, at a minimum, on a monthly basis. Funding for Florida’s clerks of court is necessary to perform the required NIEM XML update to each of the case management systems.

Computerized Criminal History Staff Support:
The FDLE will use funds to continue current professional and technical Other Personal Services (OPS) staff to assist across various sections of FDLE’s Crime Information Bureau (CIB) and the Florida Statistical Analysis Center (FSAC). These members provide support to multiple projects aimed at improving accuracy and completeness of criminal history records within the state’s repository. Continuation funding is requested to allow overtime for full-time staff to address additional workload issues and backlog pertaining to the research and updating of the judicial segment in the criminal history file. FDLE will also use funds for the renewal of critical software licenses and hire an OPS staff attorney to review statute table mapping and standardization within CCH.

(CA/NCF)