NCJ Number
86096
Journal
Police Chief Volume: 49 Issue: 10 Dated: (October 1982) Pages: 46-49
Date Published
1982
Length
4 pages
Annotation
The Regional Intelligence Sharing Systems (RISS), which created in 1980, are filling an information void in the Nation's law enforcement network by facilitating information exchange among agencies.
Abstract
The Department of Justice currently funds six RISS projects. These projects include the Regional Organized Crime Information Center, the Rocky Mountain Information Network, the Western States Information Network, New England State Police Administrators Conference, Middle Atlantic-Great Lakes Organized Crime Law Enforcement Network, and Mid-States Organized Crime Information Center. An additional project, LEVITICUS, specializing in crime related to the coal industry, is also funded by the department. Several factors merged in the 1970's to open the way for the development and growth of RISS projects. Crime increased dramatically, cooperative task force effectiveness illustrated the need for information sharing, and the need to establish a recognizable resource center for information exchange became apparent. All projects require that participating agencies be network members, after each has undergone a screening process. The heart of the projects' services is intelligence processing. The collection, storage, analysis, and dissemination of criminal intelligence information are all significant elements of the process. Information is collected by agents in the member agencies or by RISS field representatives and submitted to the center for processing. The projects have made significant inroads into reducing crime. The article includes a few footnotes and a list of RISS projects with addresses and phone numbers.