Читать книгу THE LIFEBOAT STRATEGY - Mark Nestmann - Страница 29

Government agencies maintain detailed information on individuals suspected, accused, or convicted of crimes. In most states, at least some of these records are publicly available. However, in many cases, they’re not maintained securely.

In the United States, the largest law enforcement database is the FBI’s National Crime Information Center (NCIC) database (renamed NCIC-2000). The NCIC stores information regarding open arrest warrants, arrests, and dispositions regarding felonies and serious misdemeanors. It processes nearly 2 billion requests annually. More than 80,000 law enforcement agencies nationwide have access to the NCIC database. Prospective employers and licensing boards throughout the United States have access as well.69

Serious problems exist in the NCIC. The most significant problem is accuracy. A study in 2000 showed that nearly half the records contained errors, including omissions as basic as whether a criminal suspect was convicted or exonerated.70 Perhaps that’s why in 2003, the FBI announced that it would no longer enforce a requirement that information added to the NCIC database be accurate or timely.71

There’s also a long history of unauthorized access to the NCIC. While federal law generally prohibits public access to law enforcement and intelligence databases, it’s often available “at the right price” or to persons “with the right connections.” Among many examples, nearly 100 Michigan police officers, dispatchers, federal agents, and security guards have illegally accessed police databases to stalk women, threaten motorists, and settle scores.72 In 2001, a former FBI employee pleaded guilty to illegally disclosing “hundreds of different FBI records and documents pertaining to criminal cases and grand jury investigations.”73

The NCIC, of course, is only one law enforcement database. There are many others, and there is no evidence that most of them are any more accurate or better protected than NCIC.