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Promising Practices New |  Funding 2009-2011  |  State-by-State Summaries   | NICS Contact Addresses

Promising practices by states for improved record reporting

The BJS website now has information on promising practices by Arizona, Connecticut, Florida, New York, Oregon, Texas, and Virginia for improved record reporting to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS). This information responds to requirements in the NICS Improvement Amendments Act of 2007 (P.L. 110-180) and the recent GAO Report Gun Control: Sharing Promising Practices and Assessing Incentives Could Better Position Justice to Assist States in Providing Records for Background Checks (GAO-12-684). The promising practices involve identifying, collecting, maintaining, automating, and transmitting information that determines whether a person is prohibited by federal or state law from possessing or receiving a firearm, and that improves the availability of these records to national systems. Several practices focus on how to improve reporting of mental health information while others address how to determine relevant records, how to facilitate broader coordination, or other process improvement efforts.

Arizona - Creating a SharePoint Site to Coordinate NICS Work
Connecticut - Using Visual Flow Charts to Document "As Is" Data Flow
Florida - Identifying Disqualifying Mental Health Dispositions
New York - Automate Communication Between Mental Health Record Holders and NICS Index
New York - Establish a Misdemeanor Crime of Domestic Violence through Legislation
Oregon - Implementing Live Scan Devices in Courts to Improve Record Matching
Texas - Conducting Training & Outreach with Court Clerks
Virginia - Automate Mental Health Record Transfer to Repository

NICS Act Record Improvement Program (NARIP) Awards

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State-by-State Summaries for FY2011 NICS Improvement Amendments Act Grant Awards

Arizona ($582,930) The Arizona Criminal Justice Commission will use funds to oversee tasks associated with the following objectives: 1) project management of the Arizona NICS Record Improvement initiative and development of the Arizona NICS Record Improvement Strategic Plan. The strategic plan will assess the current reporting processes for prohibiting records with a priority focus on mental health records, develop recommendations for improvement, and identify opportunities for the implementation of automated solutions for the transmittal of information. The Arizona Task Force will also determine if future changes to state law are required to mandate that mental health records are properly reported; 2) support efforts to gather and assess information on the state's current reporting systems to establish systems requirements and develop functional specifications for a technical design recommendation to inform Task Force work on the development of a strategic plan; and 3) competitively grant subawards to local criminal justice agencies to assist their record quality improvement efforts to reduce disposition backlogs and resolve rejected dispositions with priority given to prohibiting records used by NICS, notably mental health involuntary commitments, felonies, drug convictions, and domestic violence-related convictions.

Connecticut ($3,250,000) The Office of Policy and Management, the Judicial Branch, and the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS) will use funds to: 1) establish and support a NICS Records Improvement Task Force to guide the development and implementation of both ongoing and long-range records improvement plans; 2) design and build an electronic record system that will provide more timely and complete electronic disposition records in the criminal courts and separate the maintenance and reporting of criminal dispositions from the main body of statewide case management system to improve the availability of criminal court records for firearm eligibility determinations; 3) improve the completeness, automation, and transmittal of relevant probate court records (specifically mental health information) to NICS; and 4) provide automated access to the state DMHAS to civil commitment data to enable mental health data submitted by DMHAS to NICS to be available electronically for the preparation of mandatory reports and auditing purposes.

Florida ($2,574,915) The Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) will use funds to complete tasks associated with the following ten projects: 1) work with the 67 Clerks of Court to identify potential civil mental health dispositions that are firearm disqualifiers and make the records available to NICS; 2) continue efforts to develop a Warrant Data Exchange Interface within counties to improve the consistency of data sharing and quality; 3) complete modifications to the state's Logan system and Computerized Criminal History system to improve the completeness and accessibility of data available to NICS; 4) research historic disposition records for potential firearm purchase disqualifiers; 5) research approximately 750,000 records with potential firearm disqualifiers and update the files with correct dispositions and/or domestic relationship; 6) research and update 64,000 missing arrests in the state repository; 7) purchase the necessary infrastructure to electronically store mental health information submitted by the state's Firearm Purchase Program (FPP); 8) research and retrieve approximately 6,000 missing out-of-state dispositions for potential firearm purchasers to support Florida's operations as a POC state; 9) support additional FPP staff to handle the higher volume of background check transactions completed during peak seasons; and 10) support the Statistical Analysis Center's work to analyze the data used for NICS in support of the Repository's targeted data quality efforts and to assist the Task Force and/or MECOM User group activities.

Idaho ($1,206,010) The Idaho State Police and the Idaho courts system have collaborated to conduct projects that will enhance information sharing throughout the state. These projects will improve how information flows from the court at the local level, through the state, and ultimately to all who have approved access to the FBI's National Crime Information Center (NCIC) and Interstate Identification Index (III) systems. While the enhancements to the state criminal history repository and the state level system supporting warrant, protection order, sex offender and other records improves the NICS program, they also increase security against terrorism. Enhancing these systems makes the availability of this information originated at the local level available at the national level. Idaho will also use funds to replace livescan devices in jail and correctional facilities that produce large volumes of arrests. Replacing these livescans will ensure that the large volume arresting agencies will be able to submit their arrest data in a timely manner to the state and national criminal history file. A task force was developed to create Idaho's NICS Record Improvement Plan. The Task Force will continue to work on creating a Plan that will help the state determine what additional improvements need to be made to its criminal history record system and devise ways to enhance it.

Kentucky ($1,390,181) The Kentucky Justice and Public Safety Cabinet will transfer funds to the Administrative Office of the Courts and the Kentucky State Police (KSP) to meet the technological and personnel needs that have been identified as necessary components to facilitate successful transmission of mental health information from the Commonwealth courts to the KSP.  The KSP will leverage existing FileNet and Oracle infrastructure to develop a Mental Health Data and Document Management Application (Mental Health DDMA) which will serve as the statewide repository for mental health federal prohibitor information made available by the Commonwealth courts. Completion of the funded activities will enable the KSP to begin submission of mental health information to NICS.

New Jersey ($2,772,560) The New Jersey Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) will use funds to improve the recording, automation, and transmittal of mental health adjudications in a real time manner to the New Jersey State Police (NJSP) in phase II of its Civil Commitment Interface to the NJSP and NICS for record improvement. This phase of the project will include identification of historical records in each of the twenty-one county adjusters' offices, development of a data collection instrument to extract data elements needed for back-loading information in the newly developed Civil Commitment Automated Tracking System (CCATS); identification of temporary staff to design the data collection instrument; and entry of data for each county into the CCATS. Temporary staff will be used to input several hundred thousand historical records into CCATS and transmit the records to the FBI for inclusion in NICS.

New York ($3,198,502) The New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) and its partner agencies will use funds to complete tasks related to the following projects: 1) continue to support New York's NICS Record Improvement Task Force to assess the completeness and availability of NICS records, identify reasons for incomplete and/or unavailable NICS records, and continue to implement New York's NICS Records Improvement Plan; 2) continue efforts to improve records available to NICS by redesigning dispositions systems to reduce errors, decrease the number of missing dispositions, and improve the data transmission process between the Office of Court Administration (OCA) and DCJS; 3) continue efforts to improve the tracking of involuntary mental health admissions to the New York Department of Health (DOH), State and Office of Mental Health (OMH)-licensed adult inpatient facilities, and civil guardianship records from OCA by developing more advanced, automated protocols for the transfer of NICS records to the DOH interim repository for subsequent transmittal to NICS via OMH; and 4) continue to maintain New York's relief from mental health disabilities program.

North Dakota ($205,973) The North Dakota Office of Attorney General's Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) and Information Technology (IT) divisions will use funds to create a computerized system to collect and retain mental health information to assist in determining an individual's eligibility to receive and retain a North Dakota concealed weapons permit, obtain records of individuals for whom a court finding has been made that prohibits them from possessing a firearm, and maintain records of individuals who have been afforded relief of mental health disabilities. The system will forward disqualifying records to NICS so the records are accessible when federal firearms licensees (FFL's) perform a federal check.

Oregon ($1,131,260) The Oregon State Police (OSP) will use funds to complete tasks associated with the following projects: 1) support the Oregon NICS Reconciliation Team efforts to ensure that disqualifying records for individuals prohibited from purchasing or possessing a firearm are available to NICS in a timely manner; 2) maintain Oregon's Psychiatric Security Review Board relief from mental health disabilities program; 3) support efforts to develop the requisite technical infrastructure to enable the Oregon Health Authority Addictions and Mental Health Division to make mental health disqualifiers fully accessible to NICS, through OSP, for firearm background check purposes; 4) complete the necessary technical upgrades to the OSP Law Enforcement Data System (LEDS) computer hardware and software systems to enhance the state repository's criminal history record storage capacity, allow for system expansion to support mental health records, and enable increased data sharing between regional and national information systems; and 5) purchase and install two Livescan units at the Oregon Youth Authority to capture and retain juvenile criminal history information for use in future adult firearm determinations.

Texas ($547,039) The Texas Office of Court Administration (OCA) proposes to increase the number of prohibiting mental health adjudications or commitments, mental retardation and guardianship records, particularly historical records, made available to NICS by hiring staff to provide direct assistance to the district and county clerks responsible for this reporting requirement. Staff members funded through this award will conduct physical reviews of mental health, probate and guardianship, and criminal case files and docket sheets to identify relevant records in counties in which the district and/or county clerk have indicated they have not identified or reported all relevant records. A training manual will be produced and distributed to all county and district clerks with information on frequently asked questions and mental health reporting tips.

Virginia ($764,100) The Virginia State Police (VSP) and Supreme Court of Virginia (SCV) will use funds to complete tasks associated with the following projects: 1) equip 40 general district courts with the requisite infrastructure to automate the receipt of mental health data from the SCV to VSP for subsequent submission to NICS and 2) enhance and upgrade the Virginia Background Check System to reduce the number of delayed transactions and meet additional NICS program requirements, including the removal of mental health information when NIAA compliant and the transmission of the denial reason, the NICS purpose ID number, and the correct prohibiting category codes for Misdemeanor Crimes of Domestic Violence.

Wisconsin ($2,500,000) The Wisconsin Office of Justice Assistance, Department of Justice, Department of Corrections, and Administrative Office of the Courts will use funds to: 1) re-write DOJ's criminal records management system to incorporate management of several data sources critical to firearms eligibility including mental health records, firearms flags, and disposition interfaces with the state's prosecutors and courts case management systems; 2) develop an interface between DOJ and DOC to automatically forward supervision data from DOC to the criminal record repository to provide a more complete set of data on which firearms determinations can be made; 3) update the current version of the Wisconsin XML RAP sheet to become National Information Exchange Model (NIEM) compliant and enhance the state's ability to include expanded supervision fields on the criminal history record; and 4) maintain the relief from disabilities program as required by the NICS Improvement Act.

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NARIP Contact Addresses

Arizona
Pat Nelson
Program Manager
Arizona Criminal Justice Commission
1110 West Washington, Suite 230
Phoenix, Arizona 85007
(602) 364-1152 Fax (602) 364-1175
E-mail: pnelson@azcjc.gov

Connecticut
Linda DeConti
Policy and Planning Manager
Criminal Justice Policy and Planning Division (CJPPD)
Office of Policy & Management
450 Capitol Avenue, MS# 52CJP
Hartford, Connecticut 06106-1397
(860) 418-6248 Fax (860) 418-6496
E-mail: linda.deconti@ct.gov

Florida
Clayton H. Wilder
Administrator
Office of Criminal Justice Grants
Florida Department of Law Enforcement
2331 Phillips Road
Tallahassee, Florida 32308
Email: claytonwilder@fdle.state.fl.us

Idaho
Dawn A. Peck, Manager
Bureau of Criminal Identification
Idaho State Police
700 S. Stratford Dr., Ste. 120
Meridian, ID 83642
(208) 884-7136 Fax (208) 884-7193
E-mail: dawn.peck@isp.idaho.gov

Illinois
Jack Cutrone, Executive Director
Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority
300 W. Adams Street, Suite 200
Chicago, Illinois 60606
(312) 793-1307 Fax (312) 793-8422
E-mail: jack.cutrone@illinois.gov

Kentucky
Tanya Dickinson, Grants Branch Manager
Attn: Robin Finney, Internal Policy Analyst II
Kentucky Justice & Public Safety Cabinet
125 Holmes Street
Frankfort, Kentucky 40601
(502) 564-3251 Fax (502) 564-5244
E-mail: tanya.dickinson@ky.gov
robin.finney@ky.gov

Nevada
Michael Lambrecht
Nevada Department of Public Safety
Office of Criminal Justice Assistance
555 Wright Way
Carson City, Nevada 89711
(775) 687-4170 Fax (775) 687-4171
E-mail: mlambrecht@dps.state.nv.us

New Jersey
Opal Plummer
Court Executive
RJ Hughes Justice Complex
25 Market St
Trenton, NJ 08625
(609) 633-7515 Fax (609) 984-5747
E-mail: opal.plummer@judiciary.state.nj.us

New York
Anne Roest
Attn: Valerie Shanley
Office of Justice Information Services
New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services
4 Tower Place – 9th Floor
Albany, NY  12203
(518) 485-7176
E-mail: anne.roest@dcjs.state.ny.us
valerie.shanley@dcjs.state.ny.us  

North Dakota
Judith Volk, Information Services Manager
North Dakota Office of the Attorney General
Bureau of Criminal Investigation
P.O. Box 1054 (4205 State Street, 58502)
Bismarck, North Dakota 58502 (zip code for FedEx or UPS deliveries is 58503)
(701) 328-5500 Fax (701) 328-5510
E-mail: jvolk@nd.gov

Oregon
Tricia Whitfield, Director
Oregon State Police, Identification Services Section
3772 Portland Rd NE, Bldg C
Salem, OR  97301
(503) 373-1808 ext. 226
(503) 378-2121 fax
E-mail: patricia.whitfield@state.or.us

Texas
Mary Cowherd
Deputy Director
Texas Office of Court Administration
205 W. 14th St. Suite 600
Austin, TX 78701-1614
(512) 463-1629 Fax (512) 463-1648
E-mail: mary.cowherd@txcourts.gov

Mike Lesko
Deputy Assistant Director
Crime Records Service
Texas Department of Public Safety
(512) 497-1021
E-mail: Mike.Lesko@txdps.state.tx.us   

Virginia
Minni Powell, Grant Manager
The Virginia State Police
P.O. Box 27472 (7700 Midlothian Turnpike, 23235)
Richmond, Virginia 23261-7472
(804) 674-2079 Fax (804) 674-2187
E-mail: minni.powell@vsp.virginia.gov

Wisconsin
Matt Raymer, Criminal Justice Program Analyst
Wisconsin Office of Justice Assistance
1 S. Pinckney Street, Suite 615
Madison, Wisconsin 53702-3220
(608) 261-4374 Fax (608) 266-6676
E-mail: matt.raymer@wisconsin.gov