How Does NCIC and CJIS really work?

Question

Several years ago, before I cleaned my life up, I did some really stupid things which resulted in 4 Counts of Burglary and 3 counts of Forged checks. I have paid the money back, but there were charges filed and had moved out of the state to Hawaii and got my life together, cleaned up, returned to college and finished, and started a good life. I have been clean for 4 years now.

I thought I may have warrants out for me in Northern Nevada, so I had a friend of mine who is a cop in Texas check my NCIC and CJIS, he said it shows up as "priors" on CJIS with no info other than 10 pages of descriptors on NCIC, and nothing "OPEN" on CJIS and no Warrants. Just to verify, I contacted the Court in the County that the warrants would have been from, they show NOTHING, I contacted the County Sheriff, and they show an active warrant.

Can someone explain all the inconsistencies, and why would it not show HOT or OPEN on CJIS if in fact it was?

Any info would be great so I can clean this up.

Answer 1

I could check for you, but I would need your name.

Anyway I would listen to the Sheriff, he probably knows best.

Answer 2

Criminal Databases are only as good as the people entering the information.  If someone did not enter the information it will not appear in the database.

Usually there is the National Database and a State Database there is also local databases for city and limited jurisdiction warrants.  These are not necessarily tied together and do not communicate with each other.

Usually when someone gets pulled over they will run a National, State and a Local check for warrants.  A warrant may show up on just one of those checks or all of them, just depends on whether or not that information was submitted to the national or state databases.

What is likely happening is that the warrant was never put into the national or state database, just the local database.  Therefore, only a check of the local database would find it ... hence that is why the Sheriff found it and not your police officer friend.

I theorize that the reason why the warrant is not in the national or state databases is because the case never left the local ... limited jurisdiction court and was not transferred to superior Court.

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In response to your follow-up question.  A lot of it depends on why you are getting pulled over, but under most circumstances the police will check the State Database, the National Database and the local county.  So, since I'm from Arizona ... and if you was pulled over in Phoenix ... which is Maricopa County, the officer would check the NCIC and ACJIS (the Arizona State Criminal Records Database) and Maricopa County's Database.  

If the warrant is not in NCIC or ACJIS, it's not going to show up.

Answer 3

I have a police scanner and when anyone is pulled over and the officer requests the dispatcher check NCIC & TCIC (I'm in Texas)on a offender or suspect,him or her entire criminal history is pulled up.It's and eye opener!

Don't know if that helps you or not.

What is CJIS ?Criminal Justice something?