NCJ Number
253534
Date Published
October 1999
Length
3 pages
Annotation
This Fact Sheet describes the features and goals of SEARCH, a private, nonprofit justice organization dedicated to helping state and local justice agencies improve the use, management, and exchange of justice and criminal history information.
Abstract
SEARCH facilitates this effort by prioritizing information and identification technologies, as well as the application of responsible laws and policies. SEARCH is governed by a membership group composed of 53 appointees, one from each of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The National Technical Assistance and Training Program, which is administered by SEARCH, was created in 1986 to address the critical information management needs of state and local justice agencies. Its primary goals are to 1) improve justice agency information management; 2) improve information and data sharing; 3) ensure state and local agencies adopt technology that meets national and industry-accepted standards; 4) assist states in developing plans for justice information management that meet Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) formula grant program and other federal reporting requirements; and 5) assist criminal justice professionals in investigating and prosecuting crimes that involve computers and other information technologies. SEARCH technical assistance and training resources that facilitate meeting these goals are described.