vi
law enforcement agencies is current, accurate, complete, and timely. For
example, when we examined the USNCB’s processing of 52 foreign-issued
notices and diffusions that met USNCB guidelines for entering a lookout
record into the FBI’s National Crime Information Center (NCIC), we found
that approximately 87 percent did not have a corresponding lookout record
in NCIC.
12
In addition, within 92 foreign-issued notices and diffusions we
reviewed, we identified 53 inconsistencies in the information contained in the
domestic system records.
13
We also identified several weaknesses with the USNCB’s internal case
management system called ENVOY. When we reviewed a sample of
216 cases selected from notices and diffusions active from October 1, 2005,
through May 29, 2008, we found that the USNCB case files in ENVOY were
disorganized and inconsistently assembled, and we identified transposition
errors, missing data, duplicate entries, and improper classification. We also
found documents that were filed in the wrong case file and identified three
instances in which information pertaining to two unrelated individuals
appeared to have been erroneously combined into a single case file.
Consequently, domestic law enforcement data
systems likely contain out-of-date or incomplete data and include
information on individuals for whom no law enforcement agency has a
current investigative interest.
14
According to INTERPOL, as of December 31, 2008, the United States
was the source of the highest number of active red notices among member
countries. However, we reviewed the public websites of the FBI, DEA, and
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and found 14 of
In
addition, we found poor record retention and disposal, including boxes of
non-archived paper case files located in the hallways of the USNCB,
inadequate management reporting and statistics, a lack of audit trails, and
inadequate standardized correspondence. As a result, without better
management of its case-related information, the USNCB cannot ensure that
accurate information is easily and readily available throughout the USNCB.
Additionally, if the USNCB does not properly control access to its
information, there is a risk of loss, as well as the possibility the privacy of
individuals on whom the information is maintained will be violated.
12
The National Crime Information Center (NCIC) is a computerized index of criminal
justice information (i.e., fugitives, stolen properties, missing persons) maintained by the
FBI. NCIC is available to federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and other criminal
justice agency users and is operational 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
13
Not all of the 92 records we reviewed contained inconsistencies. Some records
contained multiple inconsistencies.
14
For a detailed description of our methodology, see Appendix I.