OneDOJ to Offer National Criminal Database to Law Enforcement

Degrees writes "The Washington Post is reporting that the Justice Department is building a massive database, known as 'OneDOJ'. The system allows state and local police officers around the country to search millions of case files from the FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration and other federal law enforcement agencies. The system already holds approximately 1 million case records and is projected to triple in size over the next three years. The files include investigative reports, criminal-history information, details of offenses, and the names, addresses and other information of criminal suspects or targets. From the article: 'Civil-liberties and privacy advocates say the scale and contents of such a database raise immediate privacy and civil rights concerns, in part because tens of thousands of local police officers could gain access to personal details about people who have not been arrested or charged with crimes. The little-noticed program has been coming together over the past year and a half. It already is in use in pilot projects with local police in Seattle, San Diego and a handful of other areas, officials said.'"

Law Enforcement Data Sharing

[rlp]

I worked on a law enforcement data sharing effort in Ohio. Most police departments are islands of automation. They'll have a 911 system and usually an integrated departmental records management system. Often they will have separate access to a very limited state / federal system. Very rarely will they tie in with neighboring local agencies.

Traffic stops are are dangerous stressful moments for police officers. They don't know if they are stopping Joe Citizen, or someone who just committed armed robbery. If an individual is wanted in the next town, usually that information will not be available.

The Ohio system (OLLEISN) was meant to address this on an statewide basis and got off to a good start. Data is exchanged using an XML standard (Global Justice XML Data Model) developed at Georgia Tech for the DOJ. Content consists of adult criminal records and is tightly controlled.

If the DOJ follows this model for Federal data and does a good job of implementation - I see this as a very positive development.

Re:About time

[WML MUNSON]

"If you give me six lines written by the hand of the most honest of men, I will find something in them which will hang him" -Cardinal Richelieu (French Minister and Cardinal. 1585-1642)

Far more insidious...

[gwayne]

is the ability for a system like this to create new classes of crimes and criminals out of normal law-abiding people. Just think--DA's around the country are always looking to increase their conviction rates, so they start mining data and looking for trends. The next thing you know, there are new laws on the books restricting freedoms, including

• petty vices
• how you dress (think hijab)
• where you shop
• what you wrote in your blog
• what you think
• who you associate with professionally and personally
• who you voted for last election

Each of these areas has been encroached upon by our new Socialist-Bush government.

I for one, DO NOT welcome our new socialist overlords!

Re:About time

[Dunbal]

So, if you were being ironic, ok.

      What I was referring to was the classic "We have found out that you have committed crimes against the state, here is a gun. If you are still in the room when we come back in 2 minutes, we will shoot you and your whole family" line from the Gestapo. We're not QUITE there yet, but soon...

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[account_deleted]

Comment removed based on user account deletion

Maybe we're being too paranoid?

[tech10171968]

After all, there is this little thing called the NCIC (http://www.fas.org/irp/agency/doj/fbi/is/ncic.htm ) that has already been in use by Law Enforcement for decades now. Everytime you've been pulled over by a cop and asked for your drivers' license (and/or other ID), what do you think he's doing when he takes them back to his vehicle? He's running your name through the NCIC and checking for any warrants. All of the paranoia and "Big Brother" talk may very well be much ado about nothing; when a criminal is caught and processed the government collects and therefore already possesses a lot of this information, and none of it is a big secret at that point.