New Data Exchange Program to Help Investigators

Law enforcement agencies across the nation will get a new tool to help them in criminal investigation when the FBI's new National Data Exchange system is fully up and running. The system, known as N-DEx for short, will pool information about crimes from more than 18,000 law enforcement agencies across the United States.

Until now, the only national databases of information available to investigators were the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) and the Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS). Information on individual investigations has been shared between law enforcement agencies only on a case-by-case basis.

With the development of N-DEx, which was launched last month to a small number of departments, agencies will be able to search and analyze data on thousands of cases to try to find similar incident report information and arrest data.

Searching for Similar Trends

According to the FBI, once fully operational and fully deployed in 2010, N-DEx will include a full range of capabilities, including:

• Nationwide searches from a single access point.

• Searches by "modus operandi" and for clothing, tattoos, associates, cars -- linking individuals, places, and things.

• Notifications of similar investigations and suspects.

• Identification of criminal activity hot spots and crime trends.

• Threat level assessments of individuals and addresses.

• Visualization and mapping features.

Only a small number of users in each participating agency will be able to access the system, according to the FBI. Each time the system is accessed, a log is generated so administrators can determine who accessed it, for what purpose, and what information was obtained.

"N-DEx is a remarkable tool for investigators to add to their toolbox and represents a real step forward for law enforcement," said Tom Bush, Assistant Director of the FBI Criminal Justice Information Services Division, in a news release. "I believe it has unlimited potential for the future and will strengthen the relationships forged between the FBI and state and local law enforcement agencies across the country."

See Also:
N-DEx - Welcome to the Future
Law Enforcement National Data Exchange Website

^{Photo: FBI}