University of Virginia Library

Bad Break For Bad Guys

WASHINGTON(LNS)—A
giant new computer,
programmed to make any
individual's criminal record
available to law enforcers
anywhere in the country, was
put into operation November
29, the FBI announced. So far,
only a handful of states have
placed their criminal records
on computers and linked them
to the Big C. However, twenty
states are expected to join in
the next few weeks.

By 1975, all fifty will have
received grants from the
Justice Department's Law
Enforcement Assistance
Administration enabling them
to join in.

This type of system is not
new—only more advanced. The
old system, called Project
Search, was only capable of
telling officials if a suspect had
a criminal record. Now,
according to FBI director
Hoover, "in addition to
personal identification information
such as name, age,
sex, physical description and
identifying numbers, the file
will show, for each individual,
arrest charges, the disposition
of each case, sentencing details
and custody and supervision
status." It can do all of this
within minutes after the
request is made.

The whole scheme isn't
being swallowed whole though
Critics protest that errors will
travel farther and faster now;
that the data bank is sure to
lead to more extensive police
intelligence on individuals and
that the new computer should
not be controlled by the FBI.

FBI officials claim that
concern over the system is
ridiculous; they feel it is
merely a more efficient way of
getting FBI information out
which now can only be
obtained by mail.

However, FBI spokesmen,
in talking with local officials
about their objections, have
consistently refused to release
a copy of the criminal data
bank regulations or to answer
questions about it.

The FBI said that they have
obtained written agreements
with each participating police
agency forbidding the
unauthorized dissemination of
the information to
unauthorized persons. Bureau
spokesmen say that access to
the system will be restricted to
law enforcement agencies.

The Federal agencies that
will contribute and receive the
data are the Secret Service, the
Internal Revenue Service, the
Alcohol and Tax Division of
the Treasury Department, the
Customs Service, the
Immigration and
Naturalization Service and the
U.S. courts, the U.S. attorneys,
the U.S. Marshals and the
Bureau of Prisons.