FBI’s National Data Exchange System Receives Billionth Criminal Justice Record
June 21, 2024
The FBI’s National Data Exchange (N-DEx) System is a national repository with over a billion criminal justice records from federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial agencies. The billionth record was entered into the N-DEx System on March 20, 2024. With more than 8,500 criminal justice agencies submitting records, it is no surprise that the N-DEx System contains so many records. These records cover the entire criminal justice lifecycle, including:
- Arrest reports
- Booking and incarceration reports
- Citations/tickets
- Field contacts/interviews
- Incident and case reports
- Missing persons reports
- Pre-trial, probation, and parole reports
- Service calls
- Warrants
Contributing records to the N-DEx System is just as important as searching the N-DEx System. Criminal justice agencies can access the N-DEx System to help their investigations and identify links among persons of interest, crimes, and other agency’s investigations. Over 26,000 users perform more than 2 million N-DEx searches a month to find, link, and share useful information.
For example, one N-DEx search resulted in the arrest, extradition, and conviction of a subject. A law enforcement agency investigating a double homicide case received a lead from an agency over 700 miles away in another state. Officers with the investigating agency searched the N-DEx System for more information on their subject and found a recent residential address in an incident report from the other law enforcement agency. The officers immediately contacted the other agency, and they worked together to arrest and extradite the subject. The subject was convicted and sentenced to two life sentences. This real-life example demonstrates the power and value of contributing records to the N-DEx System as well as searching the system.
With over a billion searchable criminal justice records and agencies from all over the United States sharing and searching these records, the N-DEx System is a great tool for law enforcement as it facilitates collaboration and assistance between agencies. To maximize the power of N-DEx, agencies should contribute their own records to its growing database.
The FBI’s Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) Division created and manages the N-DEx System and many other criminal justice services, such as the National Crime Information Center (NCIC), the Next Generation Identification (NGI) System, and the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS). The CJIS Division provides law enforcement with the tools they need to stay safe and investigate crimes. To learn more about what the CJIS Division has to offer, read the annual publication that highlights the Division’s various services.
Resources
Law enforcement and criminal justice personnel can access the N-DEx System 24/7 at no cost. Users can access N-DEx and other resources through the Law Enforcement Enterprise Portal (LEEP). Individuals without a LEEP account can request one at www.cjis.gov. Individuals with a LEEP account can search “National Data Exchange System” in LEEP’s Services search bar and request access to the N-DEx System.
For assistance, law enforcement and criminal justice personnel can contact N-DEx staff via email at ndex@leo.gov. For more information about the N-DEx System, visit fbi.gov/ndex.