NCIC 2000 Newsletter

July - August 1998

July - August 1998 Federal Bureau of Investigation

Volume 2, Number 10, Page 1 ííNCIC 2000íí

About This Newsletter

This newsletter is published quarterly to inform

NCIC users of the status of NCIC 2000. It is

our hope that this will keep all interested

parties abreast of changes and developments so

that you, the user, can begin, and continue to

make, any necessary purchases and

modifications to your systems. If your agency

would like more information on any of these

topics, please contact Mr. Roy Weise at 1-304-

625-2730.

⁄⁄NCIC 2000

Linking It All Together

⁄⁄

Please Note

Because criminal justice agencies

throughout the Nation will be affected by

the NCIC 2000 development, much

information about the system is available

from many sources, especially the Internet

and World Wide Web. However, some of

this information may be erroneous or

outdated. Users should take great care to

confirm any information they receive

about NCIC 2000 with their State Control

Terminal Agency (CTA) or Federal

Service Coordinator (FSC). Local users should check with their CTAs prior to acquiring any

equipment, software, or services designed to access NCIC 2000. 

Project Status Update

Criminal Justice Information Service (CJIS) Advisory Policy Board (APB) Meeting

June 16-17 in Boston, Massachusetts

The FBI briefed the Board on the status of the NCIC 2000 project and received a

favorable response on the progress made to date. The APB made a number of decisions

concerning NCIC 2000, most of which will be put in place after Initial Operating Capability (IOC)

in July 1999. 

Two key areas about NCIC 2000 were discussed:

C NCIC 2000 Communications Protocol Options: Under a recent contract

modification, Harris will study the effort and cost involved in adding options to the

NCIC 2000 TCP/IP protocol. Users have indicated that they would prefer options

other than TCP/IP over X.25. Harris’ study will include adding TCP/IP over the
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point-to-point protocol (PPP), Ethernet, and additional options. This will allow

users ready to communicate with NCIC 2000 over additional protocol choices. 

This study has recently concluded. The FBI will report the results at the

September Working Group meetings. 

C Year 2000 Readiness: NCIC 2000 will support eight digit date fields in the Federal

standard format (YYYYMMDD). CTAs and FSCs must be able to send and

accept dates in this format to fully participate in the Site Operational Test (SOT). 

In response to a recommendation from the Board, the CJIS Division sent a letter

to all CTAs and FSCs asking them to determine their readiness for SOT and

respond in writing. The CJIS, Systems Transition Unit will provide CTAs and

FSCs with information about EIC and SOT.

Factory Operational Testing (FOT)

FOT completed on June 26, 1998. The table on the following page illustrates the FOT

participants and the NCIC 2000 communications protocol they used. The testing went well. 

Highlights included New York and Florida exchanging information using NCIC 2000, New Jersey

using the NCIC 2000 workstation software, and the system handling nearly 600,000 transactions

from TECS in a volume test. Users that participated in FOT will have a head start toward getting

ready to begin EIC, which begins in November 1998, and SOT, which begins in January 1999. 

Both tests will run continuously through March 1999. However, we do not expect to have the

TCP/IP options available for EIC and SOT until February 1999. All CTA’s and FSC’s must

participate in these tests.
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July - August 1998

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FOT Participant Date Testing Completed Communications Protocol

New York CTA March 26, 1998 Bisync

Florida CTA April 9, 1998 TCP/IP over X.25

National Law Enforcement Telecommunications

System (NLETS) May 4, 1998 Bisync

Washington, DC Metropolitan Police CTA May 14, 1998 Bisync

Identification Division Automated

System/Interstate Identification Index (IDAS/III) May 21, 1998 Bisync

Missouri CTA June 1, 1998 Bisync

New Jersey CTA June 8, 1998 TCP/IP over X.25

Texas CTA June 15, 1998 SNA

Washington (State) CTA June 15, 1998 Bisync

Canadian Police Information Centre June 26, 1998 Bisync

Treasury Enforcement Communications System June 26, 1998 Bisync

Application Software Development

Harris Corporation (Harris) has completed all software development and testing for the

system’s software applications. The fifth system integration test was successfully completed in

July 1998. SIT #5 tested the interoperability of all software applications that will be part of the

system at IOC in July 1999. As part of the system acceptance process, another integration test

will be run at system Factory Acceptance Test (FAT). FAT is scheduled to take place this

August.

Installation of NCIC 2000 in Clarksburg, West Virginia

After FAT is completed, the NCIC 2000 system will be moved from its current location at

Harris’ site in Melbourne, Florida to the FBI’s CJIS Division facility in Clarksburg, West Virginia. 

By November 1998, the system will be up and running in the CJIS Division facility; ready to begin

testing communication interfaces with NCIC 2000 users. 

Fingerprint Matching Subsystem (FMS) Alpha and Beta Testing

The FBI has loaded over 250,000 right index fingerprint images into the FMS since taking
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delivery of the equipment and software in December 1997. The FBI conducted several tests to

determine the system’s fingerprint matching accuracy and the impact on accuracy when the

database size increases. The system’s required capacity is 254,000 prints. The FBI conducted all

testing at FBI Headquarters Computer Center in Washington, D.C.

The results of the testing have been excellent, maintaining the accuracy Harris achieved in

its testing. Accuracy rates have been above the 90% level that the CJIS Advisory Policy Board

said must be met at its December 1996 meeting. Testing included using fingerprints that were

compressed with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) approved algorithm

(WSQ) that the Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System (IAFIS) is using. The

right index finger of these prints was decompressed using a commercial product, then stored using

the NCIC 2000 algorithm. Accuracy was not degraded using the IAFIS prints.

Beta testing is scheduled to start this September with participants from Texas and New

Jersey. California may also participate. The objectives of the Beta Test are to:

(1) Test the end-to-end performance of the NCIC 2000 FMS.

(2) Obtain user feedback on the performance of the FMS.

(3) Provide information on the test’s outcome to the NCIC 2000 user community.

Wireless Applications Testing Program:

This effort is being spearheaded by the CJIS, Systems Transition Unit with support and

funding from the Public Safety Wireless Information Network (PSWIN). CJIS sent a Request for

Information (RFI) to the public regarding wireless communications requirements and received

responses from 17 companies. CJIS has held meetings with all the vendors that responded to the

RFI and is planning its next steps. This dialogue is intended to stimulate industry to produce

products that can support criminal justice agencies’ emerging wireless communications

requirements. 

The first tests are scheduled to begin this summer with the Alexandria, Virginia, Henrico

County, Virginia, and Sun Prairie, Wisconsin Police Departments (PD’s). After these tests are

completed, the North Carolina Highway Patrol (NCHP) will participate using its wireless

network. NCIC 2000 equipment and software to support the tests have been provided to

Alexandria and Henrico County, Virginia PD’s, Sun Prairie, Wisconsin PD’s, and NCHP. The

CTAs from Virginia, Wisconsin, and North Carolina will also participate in the testing. The FBI,

through the CJIS STU, will provide the RFI responses and results of the tests to the law
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enforcement community.

STATE YOUR

OPINION

This space is provided for authorized criminal justice agencies to provide commentary,

questions, or suggestions. We will provide an answer to all questions. If you would like to

comment or submit an article, please send it to:

Federal Bureau of Investigation

Attn: Ms. Darlene Butler

Room 9504

NCIC 2000 Program Office

935 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW

Washington, DC 20535-0001