A Reach Across Jurisdictions

• NCJ Number: 211844
• Journal: Techbeat Dated: Winter 2000
• Date Published: 2000
• Length: 2 pages
• Grant Number(s): 1996-MU-MU-K011
• Agencies: NIJ-Sponsored
• Publication Type: Program/Project Description

Annotation

Florida's Broward and Monroe Counties are working with the State Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) on the Information Technology (Infotech) initiative, a National Institute of Justice (NIJ) project that allows officers at fixed or mobile locations to enter queries and search databases in other jurisdictions.

Abstract

The Infotech system is a suite of off-the-shelf software products and NIJ-developed "middleware" that offers more of an intermediate approach to information sharing; "middleware" is software that connects two otherwise separate applications. With Infotech, participating agencies keep their databases unchanged, as the software provides users a "single-searching method" that acts as a translator between the investigator's query and each database's specific access method. An investigator in one jurisdiction can access databases in many other jurisdictions by using one search method. Infotech solves the privacy and security issues by providing several layers of protection mechanisms, depending on the risk level. The Florida Infotech project uses the FDLE's Criminal Justice Network (CJ-Net), a statewide network that is the foundation for communications among approximately 500 Florida agencies.