The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Office of Justice Programs (OJP), Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) has released the publication – Probation and Parole in the United States, 2008. This publication presents the number of adults under community supervision (probation or parole) at yearend 2008 and the growth rates in these populations during the year and since 2000.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) TecSolutions program seeks to identify mission capability gaps in the first responder community and accelerate delivery of emerging technologies. The program allows responders to identify problems with existing technology or lack of technology through its Web site, http://www.techsolutions.dhs.gov.

The U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and the Program Manager for the Information Sharing Environment (PM-ISE) are pleased to offer a public training course on the National Information Exchange Model (NIEM), January 26 – 28, 2010, in Ashburn, Virginia. This course, offered by the IJIS Institute, will provide practical implementation strategies for data exchanges and methodologies for using NIEM. For more information and to register please email training@ijis.org.

In this second piece of the two-part article on the Jihadists of Georgia, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) describes how their intelligence-based approach to this investigation proved successful in bringing down a network of terrorists by another network: a determined group of law enforcement and intelligence agencies from around the world working in unison to share information, compare evidence, and disrupt terrorist plots.

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Office of Justice Programs (OJP), Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) has released the publication—Jails in Indian Country, 2008—that presents findings from the 2008 Survey of Jails in Indian Country, an enumeration of 82 jails, confinement facilities, detention centers, and other facilities operated by tribal authorities or the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Trend data from 2000 to 2008 on facilities in the surveys are included.

U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano has announced the release of fiscal year 2010 grant application guidance kits for 13 DHS grant programs totaling more than $2.7 billion—funds for state, local, tribal, and territorial governments and private sector entities to strengthen our nation’s ability to prevent, protect, respond to, and recover from terrorist attacks, major disasters, and other emergencies. Further information on preparedness grant programs is available at www.dhs.gov and www.fema.gov/grants.

This case study highlights the success of E-Verify from a data sharing perspective among the Social Security Administration (SSA) and different systems within the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The E-Verify system was developed in compliance with DHS standards for information exchange according to the National Information Exchange Model (NIEM) and the Information Exchange Package Documentation (IEPD) development process and was based on the deployment of a NIEM-conformant Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA).

This two-part article examines the story of two young Americans, who secretly took up the mantle of violent jihad, and in the span of a year went from being extremist wannabes to trusted brothers of terrorist operatives across the globe. In part two of this story, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) will talk about how their investigation unfolded and interview an Atlanta, Georgia, FBI agent and two FBI executives.

U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano has officially launched Virtual USA, an innovative information sharing initiative—developed in collaboration with the emergency response community and state and local governments across the nation—that helps federal, state, local, and tribal first responders communicate during emergencies.

Attorney General Holder and Secretary Janet Napolitano announced two major steps in their efforts to implement reforms to enhance information sharing among federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies and safeguard sensitive information used by the government—designed to expand joint capabilities to protect the United States from terrorist activity, violent crime and other threats to the homeland.

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Office of Justice Programs (OJP) has released a document outlining an extensive set of proposed initiatives for 2010—the 2010 OJP Program Plan: Resources for The Field. The programs discussed include potential funding, training, and technical assistance opportunities that will be priorities for OJP as budgets and offerings are finalized. While extensive, the plan is not meant to be a comprehensive list of all funding opportunities in Information Sharing—look to the BJA website for the latest BJA grant solicitations.

The County of San Joaquin's (California) Information Systems Division (ISD) has improved the county’s ability to manage arrests, issue warrants, and maintain crime histories with a custom-built, Web-based system that links 1,600 users and 18 agencies countywide.

Building a developer community to tackle IT and communications issues related to disaster relief is not a simple task, but when Microsoft, Google, Yahoo, NASA, and the WorldBank team up, they mean business. The entities sponsored the two-day event—called Random Hacks of Kindness (RhoK)—in which developers tried to solve real-world disaster relief issues with technology at the Hacker Dojo in Mountain View, California.

The Criminal Intelligence Coordinating Council (CICC) and the Global Intelligence Working Group (GIWG) met recently to continue efforts toward enhanced intelligence information sharing. Members focused their talents on issues that included gang-related data exchange, privacy protections and associated training, and outreach.

U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano joined her counterpart from Canada in Washington, DC, on November 24, 2009, to announce a bundle of cooperative efforts on information sharing, maritime security, customs enforcement, and other areas of shared importance to the United States and Canada.

Data deduplication condenses data so that little space is needed to store it on backup tapes. This project reduced the 800 backup tapes that the City of Corpus Christi, Texas, previously required to store the city's data down to only 15.

Computer hard drives collected by law enforcement officers in searches of suspects’ homes offer a “virtual treasure trove” of evidence in the hands of a trained forensic investigator. Manually searching those hard drives for evidence of peer-to-peer (P2P) network sharing of child pornography can take investigators hours, perhaps days. However, a tool funded by the Office of Justice Programs’ (OJP), National Institute of Justice (NIJ), which is available via a free download, can now reduce that search time and reveal the same information in minutes.

In Bucks County, Pennsylvania, seven police departments have begun to use software that provides information sharing capability among their officers. Cody Systems’ Collaborative Object-Based Regional Access (COBRA) system has been donated to all departments in the county at no cost in honor of a police officer who was killed in the line of duty.

Sharing information domestically and internationally to fight terrorists and transnational criminals does not have to shred privacy and civil liberties protections, U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano told the American Bar Association (ABA) Standing Committee on Law and National Security. “We have to work at home and abroad to protect our common interests,” Napolitano said. “These include our security interests, but also our privacy interests. These two certainly are not separate and distinct; they are part of the same foundation that allows modern societies to function.”

Four Missouri law enforcement agencies will be the beneficiaries of a $1.2 million U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) grant to be used for vehicle mobile data centers. Buchanan County will use the grant to purchase and install the equipment and software, which will provide access to critical information sharing networks and improve communication in the field.

As part of the ongoing efforts being made by the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) to integrate the National Information Exchange Model (NIEM) into its enterprise, the Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) list data is being converted to a format that uses NIEM data elements. OFAC’s completion of its NIEM-SDN pilot project has revealed the utility of a scalable, universal exchange format, and the hope is that future exchange relationships with other agencies will consume fewer resources and will be completed in shorter periods of time.

California intends to create a state-of-the-art information security operations center to monitor cyber-threats and protect state and local government networks from attack. The proposal is part of a sweeping five-year plan, recently released by state Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) Mark Weatherford, which is designed to safeguard government data and critical technology resources from increasingly sophisticated cyber-criminals.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) plans to help ethnic and faith-based communities handle terror threats by adopting procedures used by the Secure Community Network (SCN). The department’s goal is to mimic the SCN platform for national security and preparedness and use it as a means to decrease the number of acts of terrorism by increasing both communications and information sharing.

Each year, the National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) conducts a survey of the state Chief Information Officers (CIOs) to identify and prioritize the top policy and technology issues facing state government. Those top ten priorities have been published and can now be downloaded from the NASCIO Web site at www.nascio.org/publications. [Full press release]

State, local, and tribal agencies are committing more effort towards the Information Sharing Environment (ISE) to complement the federal government's efforts to prevent the next terrorist attack. This commitment comes at a cost. When agencies are tasked to do more with less, administrators are challenged to constitutionally use information and intelligence to prioritize resource allocation, guide operational decision-making, and establish preventative strategies.

This report, published by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), National Institute of Justice (NIJ), looks at what practices the New York City, New York, and the Arlington County, Virginia, Police Departments had in place that enabled them to respond to the September 11, 2001, attacks. It includes what special challenges they faced in responding to the attacks and what changes in organization, training, and policies and procedures they implemented in the aftermath of the attacks to improve their ability to prevent, anticipate, and coordinate their response to terrorist and other critical incidents.

At the fall Global Justice Information Sharing Initiative (Global) Advisory Committee (GAC) meeting, Mr. John Ruegg, Global Security Working Group (GSWG) Chair, announced that Mr. James Dyche, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Justice Network (JNET) project, has been appointed to the position of GSWG Vice Chair.

There's no middle ground in the court of public opinion about Twitter, a free "microblogging" site that a growing number of government agencies and officials are using to keep citizens informed about everything from press releases to car accidents and structural fires. People either love Twitter, or they just don't get it.

The city of Boston has announced traffic management advances that include 16 new signalized intersections. In addition, six new traffic cameras have been installed at certain intersections. The cameras provide a live feed of local traffic conditions to the Traffic Management Center (TMC) so that traffic engineers can make immediate remote adjustments to traffic signal timing. This traffic signal work was accomplished using the city's recently deployed fiber-optic network.

Justice practitioners: You are invited to participate in a free Webinar on Friday, November 13, 2009, at 2:00 p.m. Eastern Time, on the U.S. DOJ’s Global Justice Reference Architecture (JRA). The Webinar will be presented by Thomas Clarke, Ph.D., Vice President, Research and Technology, National Center for State Courts and Global Infrastructure/Standards Working Group Chair. The event is hosted by the Justice Information Sharing Practitioners (JISP) Network. Please visit the NCJA Web site to register.

In an effort to avoid "mission failure," the U.S. Secret Service plans to deploy new storage systems, virtualize servers, modernize databases, and expand mobile and wireless capabilities. The project will be the first of several steps to upgrade the Secret Service's IT capabilities. Future plans call for IP (Internet Protocol) communications, improving interoperability with White House systems, upgrading law enforcement capabilities such as threat management and electronic crimes investigation, upgrading HR and logistics applications, and adding access controls.

The National Institute of Justice (NIJ) is sponsoring a Rural Law Enforcement Technology Institute. This technology institute will be held on May 2–7, 2010, in Coronado (San Diego), California, and is designed for the command staff/supervisory personnel of rural and small law enforcement agencies. For a copy of the application form, visit http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/nij/training/rural-institute.htm. The deadline for all applications is February 1, 2010. For additional information, please contact Scott Barker at (866) 787-2553 or ruletc1@aol.com.

Each year the Center for Digital Government takes a survey of U.S. cities to evaluate how municipalities are integrating information technology into operations to better serve their citizens. This year marks the ninth annual Digital Cities Survey and also a year full of challenges for city governments. This year, cities have had to become more innovative and creative with the way funds are used and how technology is incorporated to improve government services.

On October 21, 2009, at the fall 2009 Global Justice Information Sharing Initiative’s, Global Advisory Committee (GAC) meeting, committee members added information quality and intelligence-related resources to the Global suite of products for practitioners, by practitioners to help justice colleagues do their jobs “better” – more effectively and more efficiently, to solve pressing information sharing problems.

The Sarasota County, Florida, Sheriff's Office has deployed handheld devices that scan fingerprints to aid officers working in the field. The sheriff's office purchased 14 of the handheld scanners that connect to state and local databases and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Repository for Individuals of Special Concern to identify individuals. The devices allow police officers to positively identify people in the field, instead of returning to the jail to process the information.

The International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) Technology Center provides law enforcement agencies the opportunity to learn about information sharing, technology standards development, and information systems. Since technology continues to change at a rapid pace and law enforcement agencies are increasingly adopting technology in their daily operations, the IACP Technology Center provides an array of services to assist law enforcement agencies with making informed decisions about the technology solutions they implement.

This October, 27 law enforcement officers from six domestic agencies and six international agencies are participating in the Central American Law Enforcement Exchange (CALEE) program in the United States and El Salvador. The program strives to increase intelligence sharing, identify best practices, and minimize the gaps in communication between governments that often allow transnational criminals to move across borders and commit crimes with virtual anonymity.

The IACP LEIM Section is now inviting proposals for workshop sessions on current and emerging law enforcement information management technology issues and challenges. Early bird delegate registration will be open October 5, 2009, to February 5, 2010. Find out more at www.theiacp.org/LEIM2010Conference.

The National Institute of Corrections offers learning opportunities that include traditional in-person classroom training, synchronous (real-time) computer-based training, and e-courses that can be accessed online at the user's convenience. Visit the training catalog and view the wide variety of trainings available for correctional professionals.

Due to the breadth of the issues surrounding border protection, it is not surprising that the U.S. Border Patrol's responsibility for patrolling thousands of miles of the border requires its technology "tool belt" to include emerging technologies that not only promote mobility, but also create the best possible level of surveillance and protection. This article explores a number of these emerging technologies, including remote surveillance systems, mobile surveillance systems, and unattended ground sensors.

Don't miss an opportunity to receive live, hands-on training that is free and answers all your reporting questions. The Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) is sponsoring one-day, in-person training sessions in six cities for American Reinvestment and Recovery Act (Recovery Act) JAG and 2009 JAG grantees. Grantees are highly encouraged to attend. Register now!

The 13th Judicial Circuit court in Hillsborough County, Florida, is enlisting a document management system to digitize records. It has drastically cut the amount of paper used and enabled information to be distributed electronically. One court division is saving 8,000 to 10,000 pages of paper per day by using the content management system.

NIEM is making its move. The National Information Exchange Model (NIEM) is fast emerging as a key to the domain of cross-boundary information sharing. Having gained a beachhead in the federal sphere, NIEM advocates are broadening that beachhead and stitching together state, local, tribal, and industry data as well.

The National Information Exchange Model (NIEM) has been in development since 2005, but with the new administration and a move toward increased modernization in the IT communication infrastructure of the executive branch, NIEM has definitely entered into the limelight.

The National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center (NLECTC) Communications Technologies Center of Excellence (CoE) will host a Webinar on Personnel Precision Location Technology on Tuesday, October 27, 2009, at 1:30 p.m. Eastern time. Online registration is now open. Join the CoE to learn about personnel precision location technology and its role in law enforcement and corrections operations.

Entity resolution is critical technology in identifying and tracking down persons of interest and other such entities. Part 1 of this two-part article introduced the concept of entity resolution—how it works—at a high level—and the success demonstrated in the intelligence and law-enforcement communities. This piece will provide a technical perspective, as well as several use-case scenarios. It will explain how entity resolution works within an entity-centric environment and provide specific examples of what entity resolution can do to help connect the dots and more effectively track down persons of interest.

By identifying and managing relationships among persons of interest and other individuals or objects, entity resolution delivers a more comprehensive view of people, places, or things and their activity. By significantly mitigating the signal-to-noise challenge faced by analysts, they can then be much more proactive in identifying either the hot spots or patterns that would serve to thwart an attack—or contribute to solving or preventing a crime.

The U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and the Program Manager for the Information Sharing Environment (PM-ISE) are pleased to offer a public training course on the National Information Exchange Model (NIEM). This course will provide practical implementation strategies for data exchanges and methodologies for using NIEM. To register for this class, please contact the IJIS Institute at training@ijis.org.

During the 2009 National Information Exchange Model (NIEM) National Training Event, Federal Chief Information Officer Vivek Kundra spoke of how creating more interoperable systems across federal, state, and local governments greatly depends on establishing standards and building information technology systems that adhere to those standards. [Full Article]

Common data formats could enable sharing data of everything from bridge sensors to business reporting. Although some type of data fusion already exists across most agencies, what makes a dedicated fusion center unique is its commitment to developing a specific set of solutions for a specific problem and its focus on making data available in real time in a format that can be easily imported or exported by all participants. Just as homeland security data centers have focused heavily on the NIEM XML standard, other centers are most likely to grow up around common data sets that are used by multiple agencies and clients.

Fed up with incremental improvements to cybersecurity that seem to always leave us one step behind the bad guys, a gathering of technical and academic experts has produced a set of what it calls "game-changing" proposals for securing our information infrastructure.

"The inadequacy of today's cyberspace mechanisms to support the core values underpinning our way of life has become a national problem," according to the National Cyber Leap Year Summit 2009 report.

In its final day, the 2009 National Information Exchange Model (NIEM) National Training Event has produced over 70 recorded sessions with presentation materials available to the public. Learn more about NIEM-based approaches to data, the highly anticipated production release of NIEM Version 2.1, and the role for NIEM in information sharing. A fast and free registration is required to access the presentation material.

Federal Chief Information Officer Vivek Kundra has given agencies until September 25 to report to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on their plans, progress, and milestones in implementing the Trusted Internet Connections (TIC) initiative.

The memo to federal Chief Information Officers asks agencies to notify OMB and DHS on how they will implement TIC requirements.

President Obama outlined a strategy for spurring technology and business innovation in the United States. The plan seeks to create a national environment that is conducive to entrepreneurship and that provides the requisite "tools" for innovation, supported by more than $100 billion in federal Recovery Act funding.

The federal government launched Apps.gov, an online storefront that will allow agencies to purchase software and services. The Web site's offerings include business applications, productivity applications, cloud IT services, and social media applications. A CIO who uses the Web site for purchasing can choose a piece of software, add it to his or her online shopping cart, and buy it on the spot.

The IJIS Institute hosted a Congressional Briefing on Information Sharing and the Security of our Nation in cooperation with Congresswoman Rosa L. DeLauro. The briefing was attended by legislative directors and congressional staff, committee and subcommittee staff, high-ranking officials from the Bureau of Justice Assistance (U.S. Department of Justice), and representatives from major national public safety organizations.

The public and private sectors will join to demonstrate the benefits of open standards for facilitating emergency response at the OASIS Emergency Interoperability (EI) Summit, September 30 through October 1, 2009. Held as part of the National Information Exchange Model (NIEM) Training Event in Baltimore, Maryland, the OASIS EI Summit aims to bring closer coordination among first responders, policy makers, legislators, government agencies, and vendors.  Registration is still open for the NIEM Training Event - click here to register.

XBRL US, the XML standard setter for business information reporting, announced today that its Chief Standards Officer, Mr. Campbell Pryde, will present at the NIEM (National Information Exchange Model) National Training Event in Baltimore, Maryland, on September 30, 2009, which will focus on guidance, resources, and tools to aid in the exchange of information for government reporting.

The Federal Enterprise Architecture is moving toward a more shared architecture that looks across boundaries, said Kshemendra Paul, chief architect with the Office of Management and Budget. The government has made progress with the National Information Exchange Model (NIEM) and Universal Core, which came out of the Defense Department. Harmonization of semantics has occurred over the U.S. Department of Defense, the U.S. Department of Justice, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and the intelligence community.

Community policing in the true sense is not what it used to be given the state of local-level funding for hiring officers. Although police departments may not have the resources to engage the community face to face as often as they like, they are bridging the gap with Web 2.0 tools like Facebook and MySpace, as well as specialized law enforcement tools like CrimeDex and CrimeReports.com.

The use of timely and accurate localized data to drive law enforcement operations toward more efficient and effective resource deployment is the benchmark for twenty-first-century policing. The cornerstone of initiatives designed to achieve this benchmark is the use of mapping technologies that allow unbiased evaluation of crime and crash "hot spots," as well as the ability to deploy resources both spatially and temporally to increase effectiveness.The Data-Driven Approaches to Crime and Traffic Safety (DDACTS) model places a renewed focus on traffic law enforcement as an effective tool in reducing crime, crashes, and traffic violations in a community.

HHS-Connect is a unique, integrated social services initiative that gives some city workers the capability to view data from some shared databases involving New York City's Human Resources Administration and city agencies that handle services for the elderly, homeless, and children. Eventually, caseworkers will be able to see a client's history, family composition, and immediate and future needs. They will have the most comprehensive view of any health and human services agency in the country.

The USASpending.gov website provides transparency to federal IT projects through the graphical depiction of where and how IT investment dollars are being spent, such as through pie charts and bar charts. According to the Web site, "The IT Dashboard displays data received from agency reports to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), including general information on over 7,000 Federal IT investments." The charts illustrate the progress of individual projects, including cost, schedule, and evaluation by the agency's Chief Information Officer (CIO). Click here to see Performance Dashboard for the U.S. Department of Justice.

The Department of Health and Human Services was so overwhelmed by interest in the inaugural "Code-A-Thon" for its open source Connect health information gateway that event organizers had to close registration for lack of room. Organizers originally expected only 50 developers would show up at the DC event aimed at growing the community that will work to extend the Connect system but had to close registration after about 130 people registered within the first three days.

The special group rate for the NIEM National Training Event has been extended through Friday, September 4, 2009. If you are planning to attend this extraordinary training event, please reserve your room today and save! To reserve a room at the Hilton Baltimore, please visit the group reservation page for this event or visit the Hilton Baltimore's Web site and be sure to enter the Group/Convention Code for this event: NIE.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology's (NIST) recently released recommendations for cybersecurity are the first step in a plan to create a common security framework for civilian, military, and intelligence agencies, providing a more consistent market for the industry.

Utah state government is preparing a private cloud that will offer hosted e-mail and Web applications to cities and counties within the state. Private clouds offer an alternative for state and local agencies that want to take advantage of hosted applications but are uncomfortable turning over government data and applications to private providers.

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder announced that $1 million in Recovery Act funds has been awarded to Westat Inc. and its partner Northern Arapaho Tribal Industries (NATI) to improve the collection of tribal crime and justice data used to determine tribal eligibility for the Bureau of Justice Assistance’s Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance (JAG) program. [Full press release]

The special group rate for the NIEM National Training Event will expire on August 31, 2009. If you are planning to attend this extraordinary training event, please reserve your room today and save! To reserve a room at the Hilton Baltimore, please visit the group reservation page for this event or visit the Hilton Baltimore's Web site and be sure to enter the Group/Convention Code for this event: NIE.

In every case, information sharing can impact the efficiency and effectiveness of public safety providers. Even more important, it can help keep them safe on the job by providing timely, accurate, and complete information. In that respect, NIEM does have the potential to affect every single public safety and emergency management organization and provider, as well as the communities and citizens they serve.

The system improves disaster response through better data sharing and allows city, county, and state agencies to collaborate in innovative ways. Before Virtual Alabama, it took the state days, if not weeks, to prepare disaster declarations. With Virtual Alabama, the state can look at irrefutable evidence of damage and quickly determine its extent.

President Barack Obama has appointed Mike Resnick to be the new senior director for information sharing policy. Congress questions how the White House position will mesh with the Program Manager for the Information Sharing Environment.

The State of Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) and the Connecticut Criminal Justice Information System (CJIS) have successfully defined a National Information Exchange Model (NIEM) 2.0 exchange and published an IEPD that has reportedly assisted the DMV in their efforts to ensure that persons holding student transportation endorsements maintain proper qualifications. [Full case study]

This document explores the critical issue of privacy policies in the justice information sharing process, particularly the possibilities for technological implementation of those policies toward improving information systems and increasing public confidence in identified privacy protections.

The ability to share justice and public safety data ultimately results in safer communities because crucial information can be quickly and accurately available to all those protecting our nation’s public. That is the charge of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Global Justice Information Sharing Initiative (Global).

This article discusses the pros and cons related to both open and closed source code. Further, among other topics, it reviews security concerns and possible system issues and how easily these things are addressed in both cases.

This article stresses the need for citizens to be aware of their surroundings and report suspicious activity to the proper authorities. By doing this, citizens can play a huge and effective role in thwarting potential terrorist attacks. Agencies such as the Office of the Program Manager for the Information Sharing Environment (PM-ISE) have worked diligently on developing the Nationwide Suspicious Activity Reporting (SAR) Initiative which provides a mechanism for the gathering, documenting, processing, analyzing and sharing of terrorism related information while rigorously protecting the privacy and civil liberties of Americans.

The Health and Human Services Department will sponsor a “code-a-thon” on August 27, 2009, so that open source programmers can meet to collaborate on ways to improve the CONNECT gateway, software that lets organizations access the Nationwide Health Information Network (NHIN).

County collaboration, innovation, and creative thinking take a front seat when facing bigger problems and smaller budgets as demonstrated by winners of the seventh annual Digital Counties Survey, conducted by the Center for Digital Government.

U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano appointed Richard Spires as the agency's new Chief Information Officer (CIO). The agency's new IT leader has extensive experience in both the public and private sectors and previously led systems modernization efforts at the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). (Full Article)

The 28th Annual National Association for Justice Information Systems (NAJIS) Conference and Exhibition will be held September 15–17, 2009, in Nashville, TN! This conference provides outstanding networking opportunities and relevant session topics, such as successful law enforcement/corporate partnerships, the use of social networking in the justice community, and many more!

Responding to the federal government's new data.gov initiative and growing demands for transparency and access to government information, NASCIO encourages state participation through establishment of comparable and commonly named data portals.

The much-anticipated National Information Exchange Model (NIEM) Version 2.1 is expected to be released for public comment late this summer. The final version will be unveiled during the NIEM National Training Event being held from September 30 to October 2, 2009, in Baltimore, Maryland.  [Full Article]

When you see the words "social media" or "Web 2.0," a fire department or emergency management office probably is not the first thing that comes to mind.  However, the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) does in fact use these mediums to inform the public about emergency situations occurring within its service area.  These tools have become a fast and effective means of communicating valuable information to the people they serve. [Full article]

Recent disasters, especially Hurricane Katrina, have magnified the need for diversified communications.  The private sector has stepped up and made products that meet this need, including affordable tools for satellite communication.  Federal, state, and local responder agencies have deployed several of these devices and applications and are using them as a partial solution for interoperable communications. [Full Article]

Revised interagency agreements between the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) agencies should provide a comprehensive means of eliminating stovepipes that block information sharing among U.S. border crime investigators, intelligence officials at ICE, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). [Full Article]

Federal Chief Information Officer (CIO), Vivek Kundra discusses opportunities to improve data sharing among local, state, and federal government by utilizing cloud computing. Kundra describes not only the need to "re-examine federal funding rules" for technology development, but also the need to lessen the difficulty for gaining access to cloud computing applications.

This article describes interoperable communications as exceptionally difficult to achieve, yet critical to keeping the public safe. It examines both the micro and macro level obstacles hindering interoperable communications among public safety officials. Furthermore, it offers solutions and takes a look at newer, increasingly popular technologies that are beginning to surface as alternative communication options.

In an effort to establish the technology architecture needed across the jurisdictions, the National Capital Region (NCR) created a Data Exchange Hub (DEH) to act as a switching station for providing secure access to communications systems and applications. As a part of this effort, four information exchanges were identified as priorities and documented—NCR Resource Typing, Crisis Incident Management System (CIMS) Data Exchange, Records Management System (RMS) Exchange, and Computer-Aided Dispatch Exchange. These exchanges were developed using the National Information Exchange Model (NIEM), and the resulting Information Exchange Package Documentation (IEPDs) successfully demonstrated the utility of NIEM in the NCR project.

One of the Internet’s founding fathers and modern evangelists, Vinton Cerf, warned a gathering of government and technology industry leaders that the Internet “still lacks many features that it needs,” including essential authentication and security tools. But he urged the leaders to support a national broadband policy that provides universal, high-speed Internet access, not merely the availability of broadband communications networks. Vinton Cerf is committed to speaking at the 2009 NIEM National Training Event on September 30, 2009 in Baltimore, Maryland. For an opportunity to hear him speak and learn more about the National Information Exchange Model (NIEM) please visit the NIEM Web site and click on the training event banner at the top of the page. [Register today!]

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has posted guidance for submiting reports that detail how American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) dollars are being spent. For organizations submitting electronic reports, OMB has developed a format for compiling and submitting these financial data using the National Information Exchange Model (NIEM). The data model, built off of the success of the Global Justice XML Data Model, is maintained by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). Filing of ARRA quarterly reports must begin in October 2009 through FederalReporting.gov. [Full article]

The Unified Incident Command and Decision Support (UICDS) project, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate and supported by CAD provider Intergraph, aims to advance rapid incident response and situational awareness through the creation of a national architecture for emergency information sharing across jurisdictions and applications. According to James W. Morentz, director of UICDS Outreach, "by using the software development kit for the UICDS middleware and the National Information Exchange Model (NIEM) data exchange formats, 23 first adopter technology providers have successfully demonstrated nearly 100 real-time information exchanges." [Full article]

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Program Manager for the Information Sharing Environment (PM-ISE) have put in place a new approach to make state and local law enforcement data on suspected terrorists easier to share, while also letting the regional authorities maintain control over their information. David Lewis, a senior policy advisor in the Justice Department's Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), says, "instead of putting information in a central database or force fusion centers to develop new systems, the ISE has developed a common interface between databases." [Full Article]

Older regulations, such as the Paperwork Reduction Act, do not always work well with new Web 2.0 tools championed by White House officials, according to a blog post by Federal Chief Information Officer Vivek Kundra, and Michael Fitzpatrick, associate administrator for the Office of Management and Budget's Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs. This article discusses some obstacles present under current federal regulations as a result of recent improvements in technology.

The purpose of this case study is to highlight the successful development of a National Information Exchange Model (NIEM) 2.0-conformant Information Exchange Package Document (IEPD) for Pennsylvania's Court Case Event Messages through Pennsylvania's Justice Network (JNET) and to draw attention to resulting documentation—NIEM Adoption Whitepaper, Performance Measurement Plan, and Lessons-Learned Report—that can guide future NIEM implementation efforts. [Complete case study]

In the days immediately following 9/11, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) established the “Internet Tip Line” within the FBI's Public Access Center Unit (PACU). To date, the tip line has received more than 2 million online tips from the public relating to terrorism, counterintelligence, and criminal matters. Each tip is carefully scrutinized and considered serious until proven otherwise. The following article describes a specific instance in which a tip was received and immediate FBI response ensued. To share a tip or lead with the FBI, visit their online electronic tip form at www.fbi.gov.

The Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) has issued revised guidelines for handling personal information gathered by law enforcement on members of the public. The changes were made to the ''Functional Standard for Suspicious Activity Reporting,'' which sets forth procedures on the collection and retention of data by federal, state, and local law enforcement for the ODNI's Information Sharing Environment (ISE). ''The revised guidelines for suspicious activity reporting establish that a reasonable connection to terrorism or other criminal activity is required before law enforcement may collect Americans' personal information and share it within the ISE,'' said Michael German, American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) National Security Policy Counsel. ''We are pleased that the ISE program manager's office constructively engaged with the privacy and civil liberties community to improve and strengthen these standards and we look forward to continued collaboration on these important issues.''

A committee of government and industry IT professionals selected five winners for the American Council for Technology’s (ACT) 2009 Intergovernmental Solutions Awards, including one award to the National Information Exchange Model (NIEM) Initative. Accepting on NIEM’s behalf was the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Office of the Chief Information Officer. Other winning programs include the New York State Enhanced Driver's License Project, the Environmental Information Exchange Network, the Transportation Security Administration’s Registered Traveler Program, and the Change.gov official Web site for President Obama's transition team. [Full Press Release]

The government's ability to share sensitive but unclassified information data securely has become central to coordinating counterterrorism efforts, in part because many local officials do not have the security clearances needed to make use of classified information. The information technology challenges to securing Sensative but Unclassified (SBU) networks are complex, especially for those that cross jurisdictional boundaries. In coming months, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence’s Program Manager for the Information Sharing Environment (PM-ISE) plans to examine the different systems to ensure that the various SBU networks are interoperable and secure.

The Harris County, Texas, Commissioners Court has unanimously approved the creation of the Houston Ship Channel Security District, a public-private partnership that will fund enhancements to security technology, infrastructure, and processes along the ship channel. All the facilities included in the security district will pay operations and maintenance assessments to the district. These funds supplement more than $31 million in Homeland Security Grants secured by Harris County to install technology and infrastructure to enhance security and increase preparedness and response capability. [Full article]

The City of Richmond, Virginia, and Intergraph(R) are the first to automate the transmission of security alarm alerts directly to the appropriate public safety answering point's (PSAP) Computer-Aided Dispatch (CAD) system and reduce response time by at least two to three minutes, saving precious time and lives. The External Alarm Interface Exchange program's success has made it an American National Standards Institute (ANSI) standard now recognized by the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials-International (APCO) and the Central Station Alarm Association (CSAA).
[Full article]

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder today announced that more than $135 million in Recovery Act funds will go to the state of California to maintain or increase public safety in the state, while creating or retaining jobs within the law enforcement community. These Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) Program funds, administered by the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), are part of more than $4 billion in Justice Department Recovery Act funds to help prevent crime and improve the criminal justice system in the United States. [Full press release]

Smart Radio for Police describes two related developments in radio technology—software-defined radio and cognitive radio. With the advances in digital electronics over the past few decades, radios have more digital parts and are therefore more like computers. These radios are much less expensive and more versatile than analog radios. For more information, please see the full article.

The federal government has updated its standard for how law enforcement organizations from different levels of government should report on, and share electronically, observations on activities considered suspicious and possibly related to terrorist activity. Officials say the changes incorporate feedback from police along with privacy and civil liberties advocates. John Cohen, a senior adviser to the Program Manager for the Information Sharing Environment (PM-ISE), said the changes are meant to ensure the SAR process "helps to fight crime, but at the same time is protective of both privacy and civil liberties." Michael German, national security policy counsel for the American Civil Liberties Union and a former Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agent, praised the changes.

The NIEM Program Management Office (PMO) has released the preliminary draft agenda for the 2009 NIEM National Training Event and will include hands on workshops, information on case studies and best practices, and more. The agenda is now available to the public via the NIEM Web site (www.NIEM.gov). This event, which promises to be the definitive training event on the National Information Exchange Model (NIEM) and information sharing, is expected to draw hundreds of IT professionals from around the United States. The event will be held at the Hilton Baltimore, in Baltimore, Maryland from September 30 to October 2, 2009, and will include a pre-conference executive session on the afternoon of September 29, 2009. Please visit the event Web site for access to all available information on this event, including online registration, track descriptions, and hotel information. If you have any questions on the 2009 NIEM National Training Event, please send an e-mail to information@niem.gov

In January 2009, the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) and the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF) held five focus group meetings to discuss the current use of crime analysis for patrol. The participants were selected from law enforcement agencies that show promising practices in crime analysis. The five groups were patrol, supervisors, crime analysts, commanders, and a mixed group of participants from the individual groups. Key themes were identified across the various focus groups and are discussed in this article.

Adequate storage capacity is always a fundamental concern in terms of the preservation of digital government records. Part of the problem is that all current storage media deteriorates over a short period of time. Paper lasts longer but takes up more space and is more difficult to search. Researchers with the U.S. Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) and the University of California (UC) Berkeley have announced a possible new solution involving a new memory storage medium that can pack thousands of times more data into one square inch of space than conventional chips and preserve this data for more than a billion years.

The New York State Chief Information Officer/Office for Technology has announced the launch of Empire 2.0—a New York State social media networking initiative designed to promote government participation, increase collaboration, and expand the state's ability to share information with social media users. The Empire 2.0 strategy is a roadmap for New York Executive Branch agencies to use Web 2.0, new media, and social collaborative tools and technologies to improve intergovernmental communications and encourage citizen involvement by initiating conversations to strengthen New York's communities and government.

Drugs are the number one problem handled by Massachusetts law enforcement agencies, but gang activity is second and gaining ground. Massachusetts officials are countering with a statewide database called MassGangs that collects information about gangs and allows access to information from neighboring jurisdictions. The system was funded by a $2 million Bureau of Justice Assistance grant, and investigators from the Massachusetts State Police, FBI and several local police departments contributed to the database's development.

The federal government recently launched Data.gov, intended to let organizations, businesses, and even consumers search large data sets of government information. The site, launched by the Federal Chief Information Officer Vivek Kundra, is best categorized as early beta mode, as it offers very few data sets for perusing. However—in the same style Kundra utilized in his previous job as CIO of Washington, DC—Data.gov asks visitors to suggest data sets they would like to see at the site. Data.gov says visitors will be able to access raw data at the site or choose from a stable of online tools for data consumption that it hopes to grow.

The National Institute of Justice (NIJ) is seeking applications to establish a Criminal Justice Technology Center of Excellence for Information and Sensor Systems within the National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center System (the "NLECTC System"). The Information and Sensor Systems Center will provide testing, evaluation, technology assistance, and other services with regard to information and sensor technologies intended for use by law enforcement and other criminal justice agencies. The deadline for all applications is June 19, 2009.

A Project Manager’s Guide to Records Management Systems (RMS)/Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) System Software Acquisition, through funding from the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), Office of Justice Programs (OJP), U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), is designed to assist law enforcement agencies with purchasing a new or upgrading an old RMS or CAD system. The program manager's software acquisition guide navigates readers through the process of acquiring a new system with tasks broken down into manageable pieces. This guide to project management is geared toward those individuals making the transition from practitioner to project manager. Those who are involved with the acquisition process, as well as anyone who is interested in learning more about the process, may also find this guide beneficial.

The National Governors Association (NGA) Center for Best Practices' Combating Identity Theft Policy Academy, which is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), National Institute of Justice (NIJ), is designed to assist states in improving how they capture, share, and analyze information related to identity theft in an effort to improve investigation and prosecution of these crimes. Up to four states will be selected to participate in this academy. The NGA Center will host a bidders' conference call on Wednesday, June 3, 2009, at 2:00 p.m. (EDT) for interested participants (details). Proposals are due by 5:00 p.m. (EDT) on Thursday, June 18, 2009. For more information, please contact Blaire Jones at (202) 624-7854 or bjones@nga.org.

The National Institute of Justice (NIJ) is seeking applications to establish a Criminal Justice Technology Center of Excellence for Electronic Crime within the National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center System (the "NLECTC System"). The Electronic Crime Center will provide testing, evaluation, technology assistance, and other services with regard to technologies intended for use by law enforcement and other criminal justice agencies to combat electronic crime. Applications are due by June 19, 2009. For more information, please see the full solicitation.

This case study highlights the results and application of the National Information Exchange Model (NIEM) to the Consortium for the Exchange of Criminal-Justice Technology (CONNECT), an interstate criminal justice information sharing initiative led by the Alabama Criminal Justice Information Center (ACJIC). Funding for this initiative was provided by the U.S. Department of Justice's (DOJ), Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA). Results through July 31, 2008, include the execution of an Interagency Agreement, development of a business requirements document, and the ultimate creation of three NIEM 2.0-conformant Information Exchange Package Documents (IEPDs), including all required IEPD artifacts and publication to the www.niem.gov IEPD Clearinghouse for use by other states.

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Office of Justice Programs (OJP), National Institute of Justice (NIJ) is seeking applications for funding to conduct regional outreach activities within the National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center (NLECTC) System to improve the access to and awareness of relevant scientific and technology-related information by state and local criminal justice practitioners. This program furthers the Department's mission by strengthening the capability of state and local criminal justice agencies to prevent and control crime. For assistance with the requirements of this solicitation, contact Davis Hart, Deputy Chief of the Operational Technologies Division for Science and Technology, at (202) 514–0993 or Davis.Hart@usdoj.gov.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Office for Interoperability and Compatibility approved eight laboratories for testing and evaluation of radios to ensure compliance with the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials Project 25 (P25) interoperability standards. The laboratories' goals are to give first responders a consistent and traceable way of gathering P25 compliance information on radios purchased. The data to be made publicly available from the labs will include a summary of the tests performed, whether the product passed or failed, and a certification from the testing lab that the test was performed properly.

Connecting the dots, more formally known as information discoverability, is gaining increasing attention from homeland security officials and experts in their ongoing attempt to corral anti-terrorism information that resides across federal, state, and local jurisdictions. This article discusses the challenges and some solutions, such as the National Information Exchange Model (NIEM), observed in managing information. Further, the article explores social networking innovations as possible solutions for making homeland security information more discoverable.

Community Policing Defined, a product of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), provides a detailed description of the elements and subelements that fall under the community policing philosophy. The document describes the range of collaborative partnerships that exist between policing agencies and the individuals and organizations they serve. It outlines the process of how they go about engaging in the proactive and systematic examination of identified problems to develop effective responses, and it illustrates how they align their organizational management, structure, personnel, and information systems to support community partnerships and proactive problem-solving.

The Vermont Judiciary is currently procuring a case management system and working to develop a common business model for statewide implementation. Through a series of meetings and education and training programs stakeholders have gained an understanding the value and benefits of information sharing standards, including the National Information Exchange Model (NIEM). Exchange modeling has been a significant first step in moving the state toward common business practices. Over the next three years, the Vermont Judiciary is planning to improve its court case management system to one in which all exchanges are NIEM-compliant, while also working with other justice departments as they too work on upgrading their systems to exchange data in NIEM-compliant format.

The National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center (NLECTC)-Rocky Mountain will once again offer sessions of "Crash Scene Technologies," a free week-long course that combines classroom presentations with hands-on exercises and is designed for experienced crash scene investigators dealing with major accidents. The course introduces a broad spectrum of technologies without promoting specific products and covers three basic areas—mapping technology, black box technology, and reconstruction management and calculation software that performs the calculations and analysis of field data. For more information, contact Mandy Jones at Mandy.Jones@du.edu.

Registration is open for the Technology Institute for Rural Law Enforcement to be held on October 25–29, 2009, in Coronado, California. The technology institute is sponsored by the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) and is hosted by the Rural Law Enforcement Technology Center. It is designed for the command staff or supervisory personnel of rural and small law enforcement agencies containing less than 50 sworn officers. Attendees will learn about and discuss initiatives and issues affecting these communities.

This fact sheet, published by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Office of Justice Programs (OJP), Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), provides highlights of the 2007 National Youth Gang Survey. Data on the number of gangs, gang members, and gang-related homicides in larger cities, suburban counties, smaller cities, and rural counties are provided to accurately reflect youth gang activity in the United States. Based on survey results, it is estimated that nearly 3,550 jurisdictions across the United States experienced gang activity in 2007.

The National Governors Association (NGA) Center for Best Practices (NGA Center), with support from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), is conducting a Policy Academy on Privacy Policy Development for Justice Information Sharing Programs (Academy). The Academy will assist governors in developing or expanding upon an existing privacy policy for the state's justice information sharing programs. Interested parties should review and complete the Request for Proposal (RFP) packet. Proposals are due on Thursday, May 21, 2009, by 5:00 p.m. eastern standard time (EST).

Determining the identity of the owners of latent prints is often key to crime scene research. To identify the owner of a fingerprint left at the scene of a crime, a fingerprint examiner must carefully mark the distinguishing features of the full or partial print. New technology is now emerging that automates the marking of these distinguishing features. A National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) test shows that emerging software that automates the extraction of distinguishing features from latent prints is more advanced than expected.

New Jersey has more than 500 law enforcement agencies. These agencies have realized that there is a regional basis for where crimes occur and how they are solved, which necessitates improved ways of sharing information. New Jersey is a home-rule state; therefore, no centralized technology can be dictated to the local agencies. As a result, there is a hugely diverse collection of platforms for records management systems (RMS), computer aided dispatch (CAD), and information sharing query systems. New Jersey began using a standards-based approach to tackle information sharing challenges beginning with the Global Justice XML Data Model (GJXDM) and then incorporated the National Information Exchange Model (NIEM). This case study details the challenges faced, solutions identified, and the results observed from the actions taken to improve information sharing efforts.

Rapid advances in technology and an increased emphasis on data sharing, intelligence-led policing, and fusion center participation can result in an overwhelming volume of information for many agencies. One such technological advance is the rapidly expanding Global Positioning System (GPS) technology, which creates highly valuable sources of data that can improve decision making. Yet, if not properly understood and managed, the same data can significantly increase the risk of overload. This article explores the ability of agencies to successfully navigate GPS technology to enhance operations and improve efficiency.

The International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) Excellence in Technology Award Program recognizes law enforcement agencies' superior achievement and innovation in the field of communication and information technology. This international award program is designed to recognize leading practices through solutions that benefit law enforcement as a profession and innovative implementation of common off-the-shelf hardware/software. For more information on the award categories and the corresponding winners, please visit the IACP Web site.

The U.S. General Services Administration's (GSA) Office of Governmentwide Acquisition Contracts (GWACs) and Information Technology (IT) Schedule 70 Program invites participants to the "2009 GSA Information Technology Solutions Day." Participants will have the opportunity to hear how effectively GSA's Information Technology Acquisition Solutions map to Federal IT requirements and stimulus plans; meet GSA's IT Acquisition Leadership Team; learn about the Multiple Award Schedules as a mission ready, streamlined acquisition tool; discover how GSA's GWACs and IT Schedule Program support agency IT mission requirements; and listen to success stories from GSA's customers and industry partners. For more information, visit the GSA Web site www.gsa.gov/itsolutionsevents or visit the registration page.

Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal last week announced $18.8 million in U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) grant funding for urban search and rescue teams, additional fusion centers, and technology upgrades for the state's corrections department. The Governor's Office of Homeland Security & Emergency Preparedness plans to award $1.32 million to three regions of the state to create the Statewide Urban Search and Rescue Task Force System. A second piece of the money will go toward establishing additional fusion centers throughout the state. A total of $1.4 million will be awarded to support the Louisiana State Analytical & Fusion Exchange (LA-SAFE) and the Department of Corrections to upgrade its database with new technology. For more information on Louisiana's homeland security grant funding, please see the full article.

The current issue of the quarterly Geography and Public Safety newsletter is now available. This issue examines how police can use geographic information systems (GIS) and statistical analysis to create police districts that balance officer workloads and allocate resources more effectively. Other articles discuss tactical deployment, redistricting, and the National Institute of Justice's Geography and Crime Project. The issue is available via the COPS Web site.

The 2009 National Forum on Criminal Justice and Public Safety, Changing Criminal Justice: Surviving, Adapting, Succeeding, will take place on August 9–11, 2009, in Bellevue, Washington. The Forum will examine programs and technologies that help justice practitioners and decision makers in states, local communities, and tribal nations address pressing public safety issues in these challenging times. The Forum agenda provides opportunities to engage colleagues and presenters in discussion and conversation. Plenary sessions will feature national leaders and experts. The event is sponsored by the National Criminal Justice Association (NCJA), the IJIS Institute, and the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA). For more information, please visit http://www.national-forum.net/.

The New York City (NYC), New York, Chief Information Officer (CIO) for Health and Human Services (HHS), under the HHS-Connect program, has begun to implement functionality for New York City residents to apply for benefits through the online tool ACCESS NYC. The School Meals program is the first benefit available for online application; however, NYC has adopted the National Information Exchange Model (NIEM) 2.0-conformant data exchanges for both ACCESS NYC and the overall Health and Human Services Domain, allowing the potential for data exchange across many programs in the future. In fact, the connections between ACCESS NYC and the School Meals program data at the NYC Department of Education were made possible by implementing these NIEM 2.0-conformant exchanges. This case study details the challenges faced by New York City and the solutions identified for the successful exchange of data in the School Meals program.

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) Office of Justice Programs' (OJP) Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering, and Tracking (SMART) is making available to Indian Country two new resources that enable tribes to easily and cost-effectively create federally-compliant sex offender registration programs and public Web sites. The first resource, the Tribe and Territory Sex Offender Registry System (TTSORS), is available free of charge to tribes and territories and will greatly reduce the technology burden as they are not required to stand up and host a dedicated Internet server. In addition, the SMART Office has released a Model Tribal Sex Offender Registration Code. The model language provides tribes with Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA)-compliant language for tribal leaders to consider as they work to implement SORNA by the statutory deadline. Both TTSORS and the Model Sex Offender Registry Code are designed to help Indian Country meet the requirements of Title I of the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act.

Governor Jim Doyle announced a $30 million investment of Recovery Act funds to protect public safety, avoid cuts to police service, and reduce future corrections costs. The Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) funds will be used to target youthful offenders, fight drug abuse and trafficking, and reduce the number of offenders entering the corrections system. Cities and counties throughout Wisconsin are receiving $11.2 million in direct law enforcement assistance through the Recovery Act. Law enforcement agencies in Waukesha County will invest $140,708 in technology improvements and in a study of the rising county justice and corrections costs. For more information on Wisconsin′s public safety funding, please visit http://www.wisgov.state.wi.us/.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has publicly announced its Highway Serial Killings initiative to raise awareness among law enforcement agencies and the general public about this issue and their unique assistance on these cases. The FBI’s Violent Criminal Apprehension Program (ViCAP), which is part of its National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime and a national repository for violent crimes, is available to law enforcement throughout the country over a secure Internet link on Law Enforcement Online (LEO). It contains information on homicides, sexual assaults, missing persons, and unidentified human remains. For more information on the FBI’s Highway Serial Killings initiative and ViCAP, please visit http://www.fbi.gov.

If passed by the U.S. Congress and signed into law by President Barack Obama, the Cybersecurity Act of 2009 would require changes in securing the computer networks of utilities, banks, traffic control operations, telecoms, and other entities critical to homeland security. A bill introduced in the U.S. Senate would give the government new powers to regulate and enforce federal standards for cybersecurity. The government already monitors and regulates military networks, of course. This measure, however, would extend that control to private systems that power essential activities, such as the electric grid. New regulatory powers would compel industry compliance.

The National Information Exchange Model (NIEM) Program Management Office (PMO) has announced the public release of the NIEM Conformance Tool intended to assist developers by automatically identifying potential locations of nonconformance within Information Exchange Package Documentation (IEPD) artifacts (such as schemas, metadata, catalog, xml, etc.). The tool uses the latest published NIEM Naming and Design Rules (NDR) 1.3 and associated IEPD specifications. It is currently available for evaluation and feedback in the “tools” section of the NIEM Web site. The tool does NOT guarantee or certify full NIEM conformance and therefore should NOT be considered an authoritative source for NIEM conformance. Feedback, suggestions, suspected bugs/errors, and so forth are welcome and should be submitted to the NISS Helpdesk.

Over-the-Air (OTA) maintenance allows police departments to update radio software and features by beaming the updates directly to the radios. Over-the-Air Programming (OTAP) services range from the basic ability to update and change channel plans and talk groups to more advanced OTAP that can support changes to individual user profiles and may include the ability to update and change applications on an individual radio. Although used sparingly in police departments today, OTA has been a major part of military and cellular networks for more than a decade.

As a result of the close ties between the U.S. and Mexico on so many issues, the White House is coordinating a strategy led by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), and the U.S. Department of State (DOS) to deal with the drug and money-induced violence along the border with Mexico. The plan calls for deploying additional border patrol agents, intelligence analysts, and screening technology along the nearly 2,000-mile border between the U.S. and Mexico, and sharing information with Mexican and U.S. state and local law enforcement authorities via eight additional Law Enforcement Tactical Centers. Every state along the border will now have a Border Enforcement Security Taskforce (BEST) team. These teams combine state and local members with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) as well as U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents.

Reports of Internet scams and their financial toll continued to grow in 2008, according to the latest data by the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) which operates a Web site, www.ic3.gov, to collect and refer public complaints about Internet fraud. In 2008, more than $264 million was lost in 275,284 complaints—an average of $931 for every complaint—according to the 2008 Internet Crime Report, released March 30, 2009. Almost one-third of the complaints were for non-delivery of merchandise purchased online; auction fraud accounted for one in four complaints.

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) have partnered to release a new Privacy & Civil Liberties section of the U.S. Department of Justice’s, Office of Justice Programs (OJP), Justice Information Sharing Web site. This new portion of the Web site offers government reports, resources, and training on privacy and civil liberties protections, such as handling Personally Identifiable Information (PII) and Privacy and Civil Liberties Training for Intelligence Analysts. For more information, and to utilize the resources available on privacy and civil liberties protections, please visit www.it.ojp.gov/PrivacyLiberty.

This article details the importance of cooperation between state and federal law enforcement entities in protecting the United States. Current information sharing efforts are discussed and concerns are addressed relating to the protection of citizens' privacy and civil liberties. More specifically, experts elaborate on the Suspicious Activity Reporting (SAR) initiative, its importance, and the measures being taken to protect citizens from all crimes and hazards (including terrorism) while safeguarding against violations of individuals' privacy and civil liberties¾a difficult task but vital to the protection of the United States and its people.

Before 9/11, law enforcement agencies and professionals did not always know the significance of information in their possession—much less share that kind of intelligence with each other. Since then, officials have realized multiagency cooperation is the best way to deter terrorism and other criminal activities. While there is still much progress to be made, officials have embraced the power of collaboration and are breaking down traditional barriers. In addition, new systems and oversight allow law enforcement to share information while respecting citizens' privacy rights and civil liberties. The article details how fusion centers are best equipped to oversee and manage the complex role of information sharing and facilitate cooperation between sometimes competing interests.

The National Institute of Justice (NIJ), Office of Justice Programs (OJP), U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), has released the publication High-Priority Criminal Justice Technology Needs. This publication is a description of the research, development, evaluation, and testing process that NIJ goes through to ensure their research portfolios are aligned with the needs of the criminal justice community. The publication also summarizes the high-priority needs for the criminal justice field in the area of technology. These needs are organized into five functional areas—Protecting the Public; Ensuring Officer Safety; Confirming the Guilty and Protecting the Innocent; Improving the Efficiency of Justice; Enabling Informed Decision-Making. To view this new publication, please visit www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/225375.pdf.

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Office of Justice Programs (OJP), Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), has announced the release of the Recovery Act Edward Byrne Memorial Competitive Grant Program and the Recovery Act Assistance to Rural Law Enforcement to Combat Crime and Drugs Program. Byrne Competitive Grants are similar to Justice Assistance Grants (JAG) and are focused on ensuring job growth and job retention. These grants help state and local communities improve the capacity of local justice systems and may be used for national efforts such as training and technical assistance. Under the rural law enforcement specific program solicitation, BJA will be making awards to assist law enforcement in rural states and rural areas through improving the criminal justice system and assisting communities to prevent and combat crime and drugs. For more information on these and other resources available through BJA, please visit the BJA Recovery Act Web page.

The Office of the Director for National Intelligence (ODNI) is making it easier to use Intellipedia, the online wiki for the federal intelligence community. Alex Voultepsis, ODNI's chief of the enterprise services division, says Intellipedia now offers an editing tool to make posting information much easier. ODNI launched the “What you see is what you get” (WYSIWYG) tool on March 8, 2009 after adopting it from a commercial version. This example of bringing in a commercial tool instead of developing it on its own is part of a broader effort going on across the intelligence agency. To change the culture to make information sharing a standard business practice, intelligence agencies are adopting commercial tools and reworking policies to speed up how fast the behavior changes.

The National Information Exchange Model (NIEM) Program Office is seeking papers that will support the nationwide implementation and use of NIEM in a variety of domains, including justice, public safety, homeland security , health and human services, maritime, courts, and corrections. The Call for Papers is open to practitioners, the private sector, and educators. There will be six concurrent tracks focusing on three major topic areas including program management, architecture, and implementation. Proposed presentation ideas should be submitted to Martha Hill, IJIS Institute, 44983 Knoll Square, Ashburn VA 20147 or Martha.hill@ijis.org. The deadline for all submissions is March 31, 2009. For more information on the Call for Papers, please see the official announcement or visit www.niem.gov.

The Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), Office of Justice Programs (OJP), U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), is seeking applicants for the Recovery Act: Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) Formula Program: Local and State Solicitations. Funding will be awarded to eligible units of local and state government as well as federally recognized Indian tribes in their efforts to combat violence against women, improve the functioning of the criminal justice system, and support youth mentoring, among other activities. The deadline for all state applications is April 9, 2009, and the deadline for all local and tribal applications is May 18, 2009. All applicants should check the Byrne formula allocations to be sure they are eligible prior to applying. For more information, please visit the U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance Web site.

The Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO) announced the approval of a national standard enabling alarm companies to automatically transmit alerts to 911 centers. Alarm vendors typically place a phone call to 911 centers when an alert sounds. An automated standard could eliminate 32 million of these calls nationally, erasing minutes of processing time 911 call-takers need for obtaining information from alarm company operators, explained Bill Hobgood, Public Safety Team project manager of the Richmond, Virginia, Department of IT. He led pilot testing of the standard in Richmond, which eliminated 5,000 calls during its two-year time span. ''That means police, fire and emergency medical services will get to the scene of an emergency two and a half to three minutes faster,'' Hobgood said.

The Office of Justice Programs (OJP) has developed a comprehensive Web page that details new funding opportunities for justice agencies through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Recovery Act).  The OJP, which provides federal leadership in developing the nation's capacity to prevent and control crime, administering justice, and assisting victims, will administer $2.76 billion of the $4 billion allotted for state and local law enforcement and other criminal and juvenile justice activities from the Recovery Act's $787 billion in total funding.  For more information on assistance available through the Recovery Act and solicitations for funding, please visit http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/recovery/.

Though state and local governments are still hashing out details for how they will receive funds from the $787 billion U.S. economic stimulus bill—a.k.a. the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA)—there are several documents available online that are pertinent to information technology projects contained in the bill. This article contains links that can be useful to local and state government agencies in understanding the stimulus bill and how it could help them.

Local agencies in Virginia and North Carolina are working to implement a permanent voice over Internet protocol (VoIP)-based solution that would link IP, non-IP, and radio networks inside one system. This would allow officers to communicate across jurisdictional lines without discarding the equipment they have used for years. The work toward this VoIP system began in 2005 with the Piedmont Regional Interoperability Project, a partnership between the city of Danville, Virginia and Cisco Systems. The pilot was designed to determine how Cisco's IP technology could assist authorities and after reaching a promising 2007 proof-of-concept benchmark, officers and technicians are configuring the system for long-term use.

The U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency (CBP) will test its collection and sharing of trade data in the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) with pilot projects. The pilots will begin in four unspecified port locations and are scheduled to start in late March 2009 and run through June 2009. The agency will begin implementing data summary capabilities for the national trade community with voluntary participants in the pilot demonstrations, CBP said, adding that the testing will allow for filing, processing, and information sharing of data on trade transactions. The goal is to provide more informative data for all users of the system as well as nationwide visibility of trade processing activities.

The March issue of Community Policing Dispatch provides a brief overview of the Office of Community Oriented Policing Sevices (COPS) Hiring Recovery Program (CHRP) created by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The grant program will be open to law enforcement agencies nationwide in late March. Other articles include a look at one police department's approach to its community's foreclosure crisis, an overview of the COPS Office Child Sexual Predator Program, its recent training and technical assistance conference, and a calendar of upcoming events where attendees can expect to see COPS Office representatives.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the U.S. Department of State (DOS) announced today that their efforts have enabled the departments to jointly certify to the U.S. Congress that all statutory criteria have been met prior to implementing the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) at land and sea borders on June 1, 2009. WHTI is a joint DHS-DOS plan to implement a core 9/11 Commission recommendation, which Congress subsequently passed into law in the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act (IRTPA) of 2004. Upon implementation of WHTI, travelers will be required to present a single WHTI-compliant document denoting both citizenship and identity when seeking entry into the United States through a land or sea border.

Public safety officials agree that a move to next generation 911 call technology is imperative. However, as one Florida county learned, the public safety community must overcome many obstacles to successfully migrate to a next-generation 911 (NG911) system. These challenges include the integration of new applications into existing systems, developing new funding models, and addressing deployment and policy issues. Charlotte County, Florida, took on those obstacles and moved ahead with a NG911 system. John Davenport, the county's sheriff says, "this new network will support traditional 911 operations, while also providing a secure foundation from which new lifesaving capabilities can grow—something our existing network can't do."

The IJIS Institute, a nonprofit organization uniting private and public sector agencies with the goal of improving information sharing, announces the creation of an annual information technology award to recognize innovation that has contributed significantly to the advancement of integration and interoperability in a justice, public safety, or homeland security project. The Innovation Award will focus on team achievement, recognizing both the industry solution provider and the practitioner agency implementing the technology. Nominations are being accepted online via the IJIS Institute Web site. The deadline for nominations is May 1, 2009.

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (H.R.1), will receive $4 billion in grant funding to enhance state, local, and tribal law enforcement efforts, including the hiring of new police officers to combat violence against women and to fight Internet crimes against children. Two of the specific DOJ investments in the Act include $1 billion to fund local police officers through Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) program and $2 billion to fund grants for state and local programs that combat crime through the Office of Justice Programs (OJP), Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) program. For more information on specific DOJ investments to be made through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, please see the full press release.

The National Information Exchange Model (NIEM) Program Office is seeking papers that will support the nationwide implementation and use of NIEM in a variety of domains, including justice, public safety, homeland security , health and human services, maritime, courts, and corrections. The Call for Papers is open to practitioners, the private sector, and educators. There will be six concurrent tracks focusing on three major topic areas including program management, architecture, and implementation. Proposed presentation ideas should be submitted to Martha Hill, IJIS Institute, 44983 Knoll Square, Ashburn VA 20147 or Martha.hill@ijis.org. For more information on the Call for Papers, please see the official announcement or visit www.niem.gov.

Beginning in June 2009, the IJIS Institute will hold a series of technology seminars designed to help public safety officers and staff better understand and employ contemporary information technology. The first seminar in the series is “Justice and Public Safety 2.0” which will include 16 hours of instruction by industry experts in Web 2.0 technology. The first portion of the seminar will focus on how Web 2.0 matches business needs. The remainder of the course will cover such topics as security, privacy, alternative financing, and more. For more information on these and other seminars, please e-mail training@ijis.org.

Changes to the public purchasing system may be the government's best weapon against cyber attacks, according to a security specialist. Alan Paller, Director of Research for the SANS Institute, said state and local governments should include requirements in procurement contracts that make vendors responsible for vulnerable software. He noted that a list released in January of the 25 most dangerous programming errors identifies programming problems that produce security flaws that enable cyber crime. The list was developed by more than 30 national and international security organizations. This article suggests that government should demand stronger products and make vendors responsible for product security.

President Barack Obama signed a massive $787 billion economic stimulus package on Tuesday in Denver, Colorado. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act is aimed at jump-starting the struggling U.S. economy and includes billions of dollars that could benefit state and local government information technology (IT). The legislation includes funds for high-speed rail, broadband build-out, health IT development, and energy efficiency and "smart" power grid initiatives. President Obama called it the most sweeping economic package in U.S. history.

Law enforcement agencies have missions and goals that include serving the community and apprehending criminals. Chiefs and other top-level managers often rely upon technology to assist them in reaching these goals more effectively and efficiently. Technology, however, has to be carefully researched, evaluated, purchased, installed, maintained, and eventually replaced. With that said, how do agencies distinguish between what they want and what they really need? To help provide some guidance on this issue, this article offers tips on addressing technology needs in any agency.

The National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center Northeast Region (NLECTC-NE) is proud to present a Seminar titled "A Roadmap for the 21st Century Cybercrime Fighter," NLECTC-NE's Central NY Cybercrime Seminar. This seminar will take place on February 18, 2009, at the Oneida County Child Advocacy Center in Utica, New York, and will feature several local subject-matter experts from the NLECTC-NE, the New York State Police, and Utica College. These experts will present the latest cutting edge cybercrime trends and techniques relating to forensics, search warrants, evidence collection, network investigations, wireless threats, and legal issues.

The Port of Long Beach, California, opened its new $21 million command and control center for port security on February 9, 2009, completing a project conceived immediately after the terrorist attacks of 9-11. The center, which sits on a narrow strip of land within the harbor, controls an assortment of cameras, motion sensors, and security teams that monitor the port's 3,200 square feet and acts as a fusion center for hundreds of local, state, and federal agents that provide security for America's second biggest port.

Utah topped the Center for Digital Government's (CDG) 2008 Digital States Survey after delivering the clearest evidence yet that electronic delivery of government services has matured. To reduce energy costs and carbon emissions, Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. announced in June that most state offices would be closed on Fridays. With more than 800 state government services online -- many boasting high user adoption rates -- Utah could close physical offices statewide without inconveniencing citizens. Paul Taylor, chief strategy officer for the center and a member of the Digital States judging panel, said Utah's move signals a tipping point for electronic government services. [Related Article]

Incompatible radio systems can complicate efforts to arrest suspects. An article in the October 2008 issue of the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) Journal explains how the City of Danville, Virginia, teamed up with surrounding law enforcement agencies—the Caswell County Sheriff's Office in North Carolina, the North Carolina State Highway Patrol, the Pittsylvania County Sheriff's Office in Virginia, and the Virginia State Police—to use Internet technology to bridge the gaps in their communications systems. Joseph Heaps, deputy chief of NIJ's Information and Sensors Technologies Division and program manager for the project, said this pilot has been valuable both because the technology works and because other public safety agencies can learn what obstacles they may face in similar efforts.

Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley has announced continued efforts to improve public safety and juvenile justice through wrap-around services for Maryland's most at-risk youth. This announcement includes the expansion of Operation Safe Kids (OSK) and Child Safety Net legislation. This legislation will allow for unprecedented information sharing among state agencies and across borders with Maryland's regional law enforcement partners. For more information on Operation Safe Kids (OSK) and the Child Safety Net legislation, please view the full press release.

In 2003, the National Task Force on Interoperability (a collaborative effort of major associations for local and state elected and appointed officials, as well as public safety officers) outlined five obstacles to achieving county interoperability, which included aging and incompatible equipment; fragmented budget cycles; limited and fragmented planning and coordination; limited and fragmented spectrum; and agency resistance to uniform equipment standards. Four years before that report, however, Orange County, California, had already managed to connect all of its responders in 31 cities on the same 800 megahertz (MHz) trunk radio system. The system supports more than 17,000 radios and averages about 55,000 transmissions daily. The trunk system uses 81 channels and has nearly 400 talkgroups. Local governments that still struggle to achieve similar levels of interoperability can look to Orange County for insight on how to make interoperability a reality.

The National Institute of Justice (NIJ), U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), holds an annual technology institute for law enforcement officers to learn about and discuss technology initiatives and issues affecting the law enforcement community. During the week-long institute, attendees receive and exchange information about existing and developing technologies, problem-solving relating to technology implementation, and share technology lessons learned. There is no registration cost and all travel, food, and lodging expenses are paid. Attendance is limited to 25 full-time, career, state, and local law enforcement officers who are actively involved in technology-related law enforcement issues within their agencies. Applications to attend are due by February 6, 2009. For more information, please visit the JUSTNET Web site.

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has announced the availability of an online computer system to help protect states and consumers from automobile fraud and to provide law enforcement with new tools to investigate fraud, theft, and other crimes involving vehicles. The National Motor Vehicle Title Information System, or NMVTIS, will be available for consumers on January 30, 2009, and will be accessible through third party, fee-for-service Web sites. The Office of Justice Programs' (OJP) Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) administers NMVTIS in coordination with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

Help is being sought from technology integrators and commercial software providers as officials seek to expand the use of their common data standard for information sharing. The National Information Exchange Model (NIEM) program managers will hold an Industry Day on February 17, 2009, to expand the program to new users. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced the event through a draft request for information (RFI) on January 15, 2009. The RFI mentioned that officials were seeking "descriptions of products that have the potential to make the next generation of NIEM a reality." Those interested in attending the event must respond to NIEM-RFI@dhs.gov by January 30, 2009.

Colorado schools have a new tool to use in emergencies. The schools have adopted a system that allows schools to place a 911 call to activate a radio communications network that links school staff with professional responders arriving at the scene. Traditionally, schools facing an emergency have called 911 and waited for first responders to arrive. Under the new enhanced 911 system, schools can call 911 and be immediately connected with first responders through the schools' two-way radios. The radios allow school staff to communicate and work directly with police and other first responders during a crisis. The system will be used in accordance with procedures established by the National Incident Management System.

In an effort to enhance the effectiveness of public safety communication systems and to resolve interoperability shortfalls in the Lynchburg, Virginia, and the Roanoke, Virginia, metropolitan service areas (MSAs), the City of Lynchburg and the City of Roanoke received funding from the fiscal year 2005 Interoperable Communications Technology Grant provided by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), toward improving the interoperability of local agencies’ communications systems. Area authorities began to implement their chosen system, known as the Virginia Commonwealth Link Interoperability Communications (COMLINC) system in 2005 and will complete the system by the end of 2008. When implemented, the COMLINC system will connect 34 jurisdictions providing them with the ability to communicate and share information seamlessly. This exciting interoperability solution will benefit local, county, state, and federal law enforcement agencies; universities; fire departments; schools; and public works and rescue squads.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), in conjunction with many partners in international law enforcement, announced the conclusion of a two-year undercover operation targeting members of the online "carding" forum known as Dark Market. Cyber criminals using this forum represented a virtual transnational criminal network spanning numerous countries who were involved with the buying and selling of stolen financial information. A primary objective of Dark Market was to infiltrate the forum, develop intelligence on its leading members, and in coordination with U.S. and international law enforcement partners, systematically identify, locate, and arrest them over a sustained period. This operation resulted in 56 arrests worldwide. Additionally, $70 million in economic loss was prevented from the seizure of compromised victim accounts.

With the planned economic stimulus plan, state Chief Information Officers (CIO) are hoping that their aging information technology (IT) systems can receive funding for system upgrades. In an online survey of state CIOs by the National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO), nearly two-thirds of the 29 respondents said that anywhere from 40 to 80 percent of their information technology (IT) infrastructures consisted of legacy systems. Many of those CIOs reported that their systems are still running code written two or more decades ago to support critical finance, human resources, procurement, and other functions. The report summarizes the problem in this way: "Many state systems have become obsolete, difficult to secure [and] costly to operate and support. Without investments in legacy system renovation, modernization or replacement, the ability of states to operate as a modern organization and serve [their] citizens is at risk."

A recent audit of the U.S. Treasury Department (Treasury) stated that the department needs to finalize privacy policies and procedures and start providing reports to the Treasury Office of Inspector General (IG) and to the U.S. Congress (Congress) on their status. The policies relate to the collection, use, disclosure, and storage of personally identifiable information, as required by the Office of Management and Budget and various statutes. A fiscal 2005 appropriations law requires agencies to appoint a chief privacy officer, establish privacy and data protection policies, prepare progress reports for the department IG and Congress, and commission a review by an independently third party. Although several privacy policies were still in draft form, most Treasury agencies have begun to adopt them. Agencies have performed privacy impact assessments on information systems and provided training on the responsibilities of individuals authorized to access sensitive information, the auditors said. Based on its inspections, auditors wrote that “Treasury is adequately protecting [personally identifiable information] on public Internet sites, intranet sites, and general support systems.” Treasury has had a chief privacy officer since 2005. It established the Office of Privacy and Treasury Records and moved all privacy functions under a single line of authority, strengthening the information privacy program and fulfilling all requirements.

The failure to find information can have catastrophic results. Gregory Trosset, electronic records management program manager for King County, Washington, noted at the Best of California event in Sacramento, California, earlier this month that the failure to produce requested documents could result in hundreds of millions of dollars in sanctions being levied against an agency. Still, litigation and fines are not the only reasons for agencies to be able to find the data that they are supposed to have on hand. This article describes the different reasons agencies need a quality records management program and speaks to the successes that King County, Washington, has seen with the approach they have used.

The National Association of Counties (NACo) has accepted an invitation to join the Global Justice Information Sharing Initiative (Global) Advisory Committee (GAC). Mr. Steven W. Jennings, NACo Board of Directors member and Chief Information Officer (CIO), Harris County, Texas, has been named the Association’s GAC representative. NACo is the national organization representing county governments in the United States, providing essential services to the nation’s 3,066 counties.