Law enforcement gets real time data to track offenders

Raleigh: Law officers who check a person’s name through North Carolina’s criminal information system can now find out if they are on probation or parole, see their driver’s license photo, and share that information with investigators if necessary, Attorney General Roy Cooper announced Monday.

The State Bureau of Investigation now gives law enforcers instant access through the Division of Criminal Information (DCI) network to critical new information previously unavailable to officers on the street, such as a driver’s license photo to check identity, and whether someone is on probation or has served prison time.

“Law enforcement officers need all the information we can give them to stay safe,” Cooper said. “Now they can see immediately if a person is on probation or parole, and whether they are wanted anywhere in the country.”

Last year Cooper called on the Department of Correction (DOC) to give law enforcement access to its records to help track offenders across North Carolina and the nation. Cooper’s SBI accomplished the task by working with the DOC, the Division of Motor Vehicles and national authorities.

"Making this offender data available to law enforcement has been a top priority for me since I assumed this job," said Correction Secretary Alvin Keller. "This enhancement will provide added safety for law enforcement officers, more accountability for those on probation and parole and make our streets safer for everyone."

The SBI’s criminal justice information system, called the DCI network, is run through Cooper’s Department of Justice and provides information to the criminal justice system. Police and other criminal justice officials have had access to state and national wanted person and missing person files, protection orders, criminal history records and sex offender registrations, in addition to state-specific files such as court records and concealed handgun permits.

However, information from the DOC on whether defendants were on probation or parole had not been readily available to law enforcement and criminal justice officials until now. Already around 10,000 inquiries of corrections records have been made each week since a pilot program to provide the data began in June.

Starting today, a driver’s license check will also return probation and parole records automatically without any extra work by the law enforcement officials. The license inquiry through the DCI Network will also get a photograph of the suspect from the DMV.

The driver’s license photos are critical when suspects who give fictitious names or the names of relatives are stopped. Now, officers, deputies and court officials like district attorneys, judges and clerks in 60 counties can immediately compare the photograph with the suspect to see if they have the right person, or if the person is trying to assume another’s identity. Access in the remaining counties will be completed next month.

North Carolina is the first state to pilot the use of this new information sharing infrastructure to provide driver’s license photos and corrections information. The pilot was done in conjunction with Nlets, an organization linking state, local and federal law enforcement agencies for information exchange, and the National Institute of Justice. North Carolina will serve as a model for other states to share real-time criminal justice information.

Cooper requested that the DOC share its information on the more than 100,000 criminals who are on probation, parole and post-release supervision so that this critical information would be available to law enforcement across the state the instant an inquiry is made.

“This initiative makes work safer for law enforcement and also allows us to reduce incidents of identity theft,” Cooper said. “This adds eyes and ears to the criminal justice system and lets probationers and parolees know that law enforcement will know what rules the defendant is supposed to be following.”