The Alabama State Criminal Justice Information Center lays down rules for the Open Records Act, manages how crime records get shared, and oversees a security program for state criminal justice agencies. It also runs an all-hours command center, offering law enforcement officials nonstop access to the state’s crime information network.
The systematic distribution of crime history data to official, government and individual, private sources is done in a bid to lower the rate of criminal incidents in the state and foster a safer environment in the community. The Alabama Crime Justice Information Center (ACJIC) has developed, maintained and offered access to an innovative, statewide information sharing system which can be accessed by law enforcement agencies from across the state.
The secure web portal connects several databases, creating a central repository of sorts which can offer investigators a quick insight into the background of a suspect and other vital information about him/her. The internet based system combines data on Alabama driver’s licenses, department of corrections, boat and automobile tag registrations.
The duties of the Alabama Crime Justice Information Center
Pursuant to Section 41-9 of the Alabama Code, the ACJIC has been entrusted the responsibility of collecting crime data from various justice agencies across the state, storing and retrieving this information as need be and analyzing and disseminating the details on behalf of the state.
The ACJIC also compiles and publishes annual statistical analysis of the data to offer insight on the extent and nature of crime in the state. The agency is responsible for maintaining a 24/7 resource that can be accessed by all law enforcement personnel in Alabama.
Apart from offering assistance to criminal justice agencies the ACJIC also cooperates with federal agencies and criminal justice entities in other states on a voluntary basis.
Finally, the agency is charged with the dissemination of public records to private applicants who are eligible to receive such information under the Alabama statutes.
The Center employs sworn Alabama peace officers who have full and unlimited jurisdiction to afford protection to the system.
Agency administration
The Alabama Crime Justice Information Center is governed by a 7 member advisory section along with the ACJIC commission and a supervisory board. The day to day operations of the agency are managed by the director of the AJIC who reports directly to the commissioner of the center. The various divisions of the agency include:
Executive: The division is charged with managing the administration, communication and information functions of the center and it is also responsible for the administration of the grant program.
Information technology: As the name suggests, this wing of the agency manages technical operations and audits of the system along with the actual maintenance of the computer and telecom hardware.
Field Operations:Responsible for data quality, training of personnel and record auditing, the field operation division also oversees the functioning of the Alabama Law Enforcement Technology Training Center.
Crime Statistics Information: The CSI performs the all important task of entering and matching records on case disposition with the state and federal criminal history information systems.
Obtaining Alabama Crime History Information from the ACJIC
You can only request a personal background check from this source; employers however, can also access the Alabama Background Check system to conduct criminal checks on current or prospective employees as long as they have signed consent from the subject in the form of waiver.
To access crime history information, you can send in a FBI applicant fingerprint card with the application. Include a $25 processing fee in the form of a money order or cashiers check made payable to the State of Alabama. Mail the application to the Alabama Criminal Justice Information Center at P.O Box 300660, Montgomery Alabama 36130-0660.
It generally takes 5 to 10 business days for the center to process the request. However, applications sent in to challenge crime history records maintained by the center do not fall under this time free.The state of Alabama does not have expungement laws; however, the center can be approached for the corrections of any errors in the data they host.