Site Overview

This web site functions as the premiere resource for the support of justice and public safety information sharing and technology.  No matter what level of expertise or exposure to technology you may have, there are articles, standards, best practices, points of contact, and general information to help you be successful in understanding and applying information sharing principles to improve the criminal justice system.  The Office of Justice Programs, US Department of Justice is pleased to support this site and strives to make it as comprehensive and practical as possible by addressing the needs of executives, policy makers, project managers, and technologists to provide a full understanding and awareness of how far information sharing has come at a national level, and a foundation for supporting future implementation and expansion of these capabilities.

The site is grouped into four major topic areas:

Global Justice - The Global Justice Information Sharing Initiative (Global) is the foundation for many of the work products that reside on this site.  Global exists under the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA) to advise the Attorney General of the United States on policy issues pertaining to the sharing of information between justice agencies to promote better public safety, more effective enforcement of law, and enhance the overall function of the criminal justice system.

National Initiatives - National Initiatives describes some of the more high-profile and critically important programs that are supported by OJP and its partners.  Topics such as the National Information Exchange Model, Fusion Centers, and Privacy and Civil Liberties are discussed in detail, as well as what Federal, state, and local agencies are doing to support them.  These programs are important to be aware of as they may offer support to projects you are working on right now.

Policy and Practice - This area of the site offers an expanded perspective on the role of national policy in shaping the larger discussion on the importance and critical nature of information sharing.  Here you will earn why information sharing is so important in the first place, what national organizations are doing to support it, how funding and legislative issues can impact information sharing projects, and read about best practices and success stories from those projects who have come before and lived to tell about it.

Implementation Assistance - There are a wealth of resources available under the Implementation Resources area of the site.  Here you will find real-time assistance with planning or implementing information sharing in your jurisdiction with the information sharing standards knowledgebase and help desk.  There are also standards clearinghouses that provide a registry of existing standards and artifacts that are reusable and may prevent the reinvention of commonly used resources.  Lastly you can learn about training programs currently available to be more formally educated on information sharing and the various standards that are involved, as well as request onsite technical assistance to provide a more one-on-one approach to assistance.  These resources are made available through funding from the Bureau of Justice Assistance, and administered by several of BJA’s important national partners.

Additional information can be found below under Site Tools, including the site-wide document library, and FAQs.  If you have any difficulty, more information can be found under this Help section, or by using the search box at the top of the screen.