Improving NICS Data Sharing in Ohio

The Office of Justice Programs funds the National Criminal History Improvement Program (NCHIP) and the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) Act Record Improvement Program (NARIP). Both of these programs provide essential support and guidance to improve reporting of criminal history and related records used for background checks conducted through the Federal Bureau of Investigation's (FBI) NICS, for individuals seeking to purchase certain firearms. Recent acts of violence have focused national attention on the urgent need to close several persistent information gaps remaining in the background check process. The Bureau of Justice Assistance, in close coordination with Bureau of Justice Statistics and the FBI, is funding a one-time grant program to complement the ongoing NCHIP and NARIP programs by improving and expanding the data accessible to NICS at the time of a firearm background check to ensure lawful purchases.

The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Identification and the Ohio Supreme Court will use the funds to improve information sharing among the Bureau's Computerized Criminal History (CCH) Repository and the Ohio Court's Network (OCN). The goal of the project is to improve the quantity and quality of court disposition records in the CCH repository, specifically felony, misdemeanor, domestic violence and mental health adjudications. CA/NCF