U.S. Department of Justice

Office of Justice Programs

Bureau of Justice Assistance Program Brief Bureau of Justice Assistance

Richard R. Nedelkoff, Director

www.ojp.usdoj.gov/BJA

April 2002

Regional Information

Sharing Systems Program

T he Regional Information Sharing Systems (RISS) Program supports federal, state, and local law enforcement efforts to

combat criminal activity that extends across jurisdictional boundaries.

Six RISS centers currently provide member law enforcement agencies

nationwide with a broad range of intelligence exchange and related

investigative support services. RISS centers focus primarily on 

violent crime, terrorism, gang activity, organized crime, and drug

trafficking.

Background

The RISS Program is the only multijurisdictional criminal intelligence

system operated by and for state and local law enforcement agencies.

The operation of a regional information-sharing center was first 

supported by U.S. Department of Justice grant funding in 1974. The

concept grew as more law enforcement agencies expressed a need

to extend the range of intelligence across jurisdictional boundaries.

The 6 RISS centers now serve nearly 6,000 federal, state, and local

law enforcement agencies in the 50 states, the District of Columbia,

Puerto Rico, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Australia, England, and the

Canadian provinces. Among the 6,000 agencies, there are more than
About BJA

The Bureau of Justice Assistance was established in 1984 as a

component of the Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of

Justice. BJA provides leadership and resources to state, local, and

tribal governments and communities to reduce crime, violence, and

drug abuse and to strengthen the nation’s criminal justice system.

BJA provides this assistance through formula and discretionary

grants, training and technical assistance, publications, and the BJA 

web site.

For Further Information

For information about the RISS Program, contact the center that

serves your region (see back page) or

Institute for Intergovernmental Research

P.O. Box 12729 

Tallahassee, FL 32317

1–800–446–0912 or 850–385–0600

Web site: www.iir.com

Bureau of Justice Assistance

810 Seventh Street NW.

Washington, DC 20531

202–616–6500

Fax: 202–305–1367

Web site: www.ojp.usdoj.gov/BJA 

For publications and information on 

other BJA-funded programs, contact

Bureau of Justice Assistance Clearinghouse 

P.O. Box 6000 

Rockville, MD 20849–6000

1–800–688–4252

Web site: www.ncjrs.org

Clearinghouse staff are available Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m.

to 7 p.m. eastern time. Ask to be placed on the BJA mailing list. 

U.S. Department of Justice Response Center

1–800–421–6770 or locally at 202–307–1480 

Response Center staff are available Monday through Friday,

9 a.m. to 5 p.m. eastern time.

2

49,000 individual users. The number of member

agencies participating in each of the 6 RISS centers

ranges from 540 to more than 1,300. Local

(municipal and county) law enforcement agencies

make up approximately 75 percent of the total

membership. More than 300 state agencies and

more than 700 federal agencies and offices also

participate. Federal agencies participating in the

RISS Program include, but are not limited to, the

Drug Enforcement Administration, the Federal

Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, the

Internal Revenue Service, the U.S. Secret Service,

the U.S. Customs Service, and the Bureau of

Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. 

The Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), Office of

Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice,

administers the RISS Program. RISS centers

operate under the BJA RISS Program Funding

Guidelines and the Criminal Intelligence Systems

Operating Policies (28 CFR Part 23). Each of the

six centers has developed operating policies and

procedures that comply with the federal

guidelines and regulations. The Institute

for Intergovernmental Research, a

Florida-based nonprofit research

and management consulting

organization that specializes in

law enforcement, juvenile

justice, and criminal justice

issues, assesses performance

and analyzes management

operations for the RISS Program.

Key Program Elements

Goal. The overall goal of the RISS Program is to

enhance the ability of state and local criminal

justice agencies to identify, target, and remove

criminal conspiracies and activities that span

jurisdictional boundaries.

Center composition. Each of the six RISS centers

is overseen by an executive board or board of
3

directors that comprise representatives from its

member agencies. The board develops

membership criteria according to federal guidelines

and regulations; each center comprises federal,

state, and local criminal justice and regulatory

agencies located within the center’s multistate

service area. Agency membership application procedures vary from center to center, but each

requires formal application review and board

approval. Centers also require a nominal 

membership fee.

Services provided. The RISS Program provides

member agencies with an information-sharing,

analysis, and communications network to support

investigative and prosecutorial efforts that address

multijurisdictional offenses and conspiracies. Training

sessions are held at a variety of locations within a

center’s service area. Center offices are staffed by

analytical personnel and field representatives. Only

member agencies are eligible to receive center

services (which are offered at no charge).

The following core services are available to member

agencies by telephone, in person, or through their

secure Internet site:

◆ Information sharing—RISS operates riss.net—a

secure, web-based, nationwide network—for

communications and sharing of criminal justice

information by member agencies.

◆ Data analysis—Telephone toll analysis (to identify

common connections and significant numbers),

computer forensics analysis (to retrieve e-mail

and files as evidence), financial analysis,

information-sharing, and data analysis services

about center-sponsored investigations and activities.

The following additional services are available to

member agencies:

◆ Investigative support—Financial assistance for

conducting multijurisdictional investigations.

◆ Specialized equipment—Specialized investigative

equipment available for loan.

◆ Technical assistance—Consultation and information

provided by center personnel concerning use of

specialized equipment, investigative procedures,

accounting of funds provided by the center to

support investigations, and information analysis.

◆ Training—Specialized training to upgrade the

investigative skills of personnel at member

agencies. Assistance may include financial support

to send personnel to training courses, seminars,

and conferences. Training also can be delivered

electronically via the RISS training web site.

Program Accomplishments

From fiscal years 1991 to 2001, RISS centers

assisted with almost 58,000 arrests by providing

information, analytical services, equipment loans, and

confidential funds to member agencies. Approximately

$10 billion in drug seizures and $21 million in civil

Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations

(RICO) seizures were made possible because of

RISS center services. Each year, approximately

An equipment specialist at the Mid-States Organized Crime Information Center uses an

audio-filtering console to filter audiotape recordings provided by member agencies.
Photos courtesy of Mid-States Organized Crime Information

Center, Middle Atlantic-Great Lakes Organized Crime Law

Enforcement Network, and © 2001 Corbis.

35,000 law enforcement personnel are trained in

RISS center-sponsored sessions on a variety of

current criminal justice issues. 

Regional Centers

Middle Atlantic-Great Lakes Organized Crime Law

Enforcement Network (MAGLOCLEN)

140 Terry Drive, Suite 100

Newtown, PA 18940

1–800–345–1322 or 215–504–4910

Mid-States Organized Crime Information Center

(MOCIC)

1610 East Sunshine Street, Suite 100

Springfield, MO 65804–1313

1–800–846–6242 or 417–883–4383

New England State Police Information Network

(NESPIN)

124 Grove Street, Suite 305

Franklin, MA 02038

1–800–343–5682, ext. 102, or 508–528–8200

Regional Organized Crime Information Center (ROCIC)

545 Marriott Drive, Suite 850

Nashville, TN 37214

1–800–238–7985 or 615–871–0013

Rocky Mountain Information Network (RMIN)

2828 North Central Avenue, Suite 1000

Phoenix, AZ 85004–1027

1–800–821–0640 or 602–351–2320

Western States Information Network (WSIN)

P.O. Box 903198

Sacramento, CA 94203–1980

1–800–824–7868 or 916–263–1166

NCJ 192666

April 2002

U.S. Department of Justice

Office of Justice Programs

Bureau of Justice Assistance

Washington, DC 20531

Official Business

Penalty for Private Use $300

PRESORTED STANDARD

POSTAGE & FEES PAID

DOJ/BJA

PERMIT NO. G–91

NESPIN

MAGLOCLEN

MOCIC

RMIN ROCIC

WSIN