SLED Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) serves as the central state criminal justice information repository. This department collects, processes, stores, and disseminates crime data and criminal identification and record information. CJIS assists with crime prevention and the administration of criminal justice by providing accurate and timely information to local, state, and federal criminal justice agencies, civil governmental agencies, and the public as authorized by law and regulation.
CJIS is the central hub of South Carolina's criminal justice information and supports public safety. This department provides the infrastructure that allows local, state, and tribal law enforcement agencies to access critical information necessary for solving crimes, tracking offenders, and ensuring public safety. By maintaining secure databases and facilitating information sharing, CJIS supports investigations, background checks for employment, firearms purchases, and more. This work helps law enforcement agencies keep up with modern challenges, ensuring that accurate and timely information is available when needed most.
Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS) Unit
The Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS) Unit is vital in efficiently managing fingerprint data. This unit receives, processes, and securely stores fingerprint cards, employing advanced technology to compare submitted prints against the state repository. AFIS enables accurate and dependable identifications, subsequently providing comprehensive criminal history record information. This process serves criminal justice purposes and non-criminal applications.
AFIS also handles requests from the public who may dispute the information on their criminal histories by offering a process to challenge what is on the record.
Non-Criminal Justice Information Services (NCJIS)
The Non-Criminal Justice Information Services Unit, or NCJIS, collaborates with non-criminal justice agencies to facilitate the collection of fingerprint-based background checks. We proactively engage with these agencies even before new legislation is enacted. This proactive approach ensures that the legislation incorporates the precise language required to integrate these checks into our operations seamlessly. Once legislation is passed, we work diligently with the respective department to compile all necessary information for submission to the FBI.
NCJIS assists with external personnel seeking escorted and unescorted access on state and local criminal justice agencies property by thoroughly vetting private vendors and employees who may have access to unencrypted criminal justice information (CJI). We aim to ensure that these agencies and vendors align with the FBI CJIS Security Policy, thereby upholding the integrity of data management and sharing within our criminal justice ecosystem.
Computerized Criminal History (CCH) Unit & Expungements
The Computerized Criminal History Unit, or CCH, processes final disposition reports from various courts without delay. This meticulous effort guarantees the accuracy of criminal histories at both the state and federal levels. The CCH Unit enters and updates arrest, judicial, and custody information within the criminal history database.
The Unit processes court-ordered expungements from both from General Sessions and Summary Courts. Moreover, the team expertly runs criminal history reports, supporting the synchronization of records between the Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). These combined efforts ensure the precision and reliability of our criminal history data.