Search Group Incorporated

“The members consist of one representative of each state, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and eight individuals appointed by the Chairperson, known as at-large members.”

“Members each get one vote and elect the Board of Directors.”

“No committees have the authority to act on behalf of the governing body.”

“The filing of the Form 990 is operational which is reviewed by the Director of Operations and the Executive Director, not by the organization's governing body.”

“Upon request and also available on guidestar.org, a website for charity verification.”

“Search is dedicated to improving the quality of justice and public safety through the use, management, and exchange of information, application of new technologies, and responsible law and policy, while safeguarding security and privacy.”

“SEARCH's Information Sharing Program (ISP) helps state, local, and tribal justice and public safety organizations to develop, operate, secure, and improve information sharing in their jurisdictions. This assistance is provided through products and services in the areas of information sharing systems design and development, technology procurement and implementation, and interoperability. ISP performs four core services, three of which are related to information sharing: 1) technical assistance (consulting) and training, 2) participation in developing and promoting national information standards and supporting research, and 3) developing and implementing information sharing solutions that conform to national standards and best practices. The fourth core service is to provide training and technical assistance in support of communications interoperability and FirstNet. 1. During FY16, ISP provided on-site and in-house technical assistance to local, regional, state, and tribal agencies throughout the nation. - These activities addressed a range of topics, including establishing information sharing governance structures, developing strategic plans, assessing technical and operational capabilities, assessing readiness for information sharing, and designing information sharing solutions that conform to national standards and best practices. - SEARCH provided assistance to jurisdictions in 26 states, plus the District of Columbia: Alaska, Alabama (3), Arizona (4), California (11), Colorado (3), Connecticut, Hawaii (5), Indiana (2), Louisiana (4), Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska (2), Nevada (2), New Mexico, New York (4), North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania (2), South Carolina, Washington (2), West Virginia, and Wisconsin. - SEARCH provided help to national groups by serving as subject matter experts at a conference sponsored by the National Association for Justice Information Sharing (NAJIS). - Staff also continued its involvement with the Mid-Atlantic States Information Sharing (MARIS) Project, assisting the eight participating states--Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia--with implementing information exchanges and Global Federated Identity and Privilege Management (GFIPM). These include federated queries for arrests, probation/parole data, warrants, and courts. - SEARCH continued to support the e-learning course for its Justice Information Exchange Model (JIEM) business process and data modeling tool, and provided assistance to persons wishing to complete the course. During FY16, SEARCH staff assisted 8 persons to access the training site or who needed password resets. 2. SEARCH ISP staff participated in multiple meetings and conference calls throughout the year, serving on multiple national criminal justice standards-setting bodies during FY2016. They included-- - Global Advisory/Executive Steering Committee - Global Critical Nontraditional Information Exchange Task Team - Global Justice/Health and Human Services Task Team - Global Services Task Team - Global Standards Council - Justice Training and Technical Assistance Committee (JTTAC) - National Crime Statistics Exchange Project (NCS-X) - National Information Exchange Model (NIEM) Business Architecture Committee (NBAC) - National Training and Technical Assistance Center (NTTAC) Reporting Portal Collaboration - NBAC State and Local Subcommittee - NIEM Technical Architecture Committee (NTAC) - Program Manager for the Information Sharing Environment (PM-ISE) Justice Training and Technical Assistance Committee - Tribal Access Program (TAP) SEARCH ISP staff conducted the following research to support the development and promotion of national information sharing standards: - We worked with prosecutors to develop a functional requirements document for prosecutor case management systems that will identify National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) reporting opportu”

“-District of Columbia: SEARCH is working with the District's Criminal Justice Coordinating Council on a project to share and integrate jail and behavioral health treatment data to support decision-making. - Maryland: SEARCH assessed data conversion options as part of the Baltimore Violence Reduction Network's efforts to implement a new records management system (RMS). - Michigan: SEARCH provided suggestions to the Detroit Violence Prevention Network project to improve information sharing, especially participation by the city's police department in N-Dex and the state electronic warrant system. - National: SEARCH is developing a National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) Pre-Certification Tool for state and local agencies to validate NIBRS data submissions prior to engaging the FBI in the NIBRS certification process. SEARCH also developed a comprehensive test data set to validate the tool. - Nebraska: SEARCH conducted an onsite evaluation of the Lancaster County Attorney's Office case management system and advised prosecutors on ways to contribute data to the NICS. - North Dakota: SEARCH continued working with two pilot counties in North Dakota to electronically submit incident and arrest data to the county prosecutor. The project uses GRA-compliant services to send data from the Law Enforcement Records Management System to the State's Attorney Records Management System through the North Dakota Criminal Justice Information Sharing Broker. - Washington: This project will improve data-sharing capabilities among justice and health stakeholders in Thurston County to improve pretrial decision-making and explore alternatives to incarceration. - Washington: SEARCH conducted a data architecture modeling exercise with King County as foundational to developing an enterprise architecture for the county. SEARCH provided onsite and in-house technical assistance, and programmatic oversight, to help states increase the number of complete and accurate records available to the NICS for firearm purchaser background checks. During FY16, SEARCH assisted 12 states: Arizona, Connecticut, Hawaii, Indiana, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, New Mexico, Ohio, South Carolina, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. SEARCH also provided support to the Tribal Access Program by participating in training sessions with the Cherokee Nation (Oklahoma) and White Mountain Apache Tribe (Arizona) to explore opportunities to increase reporting of firearm purchase disqualifying records. 4. During FY16, SEARCH continued to support public safety communication interoperability and FirstNet. These efforts included: - Participating as a member of the FirstNet Public Safety Advisory Committee (PSAC) and SAFECOM Emergency Response Council (ERC). - Helping develop the National Emergency Number Association/Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials, Intl. (NENA/APCO) Emergency Incident Data Document (EIDD). The EIDD will enable public safety agencies to exchange emergency incident information with other agencies and regions that implement Next Generation 9-1-1 and Internet Protocol-based emergency communications systems, as well as information from NG9-1-1 and FirstNet. SEARCH submitted the final EIDD IEPD to the APCO Review Committee in spring 2016.”

“SEARCH's High-Tech Crime Training Services (HTCTS) Program consists of a team of experts who provide technical assistance and training to local, state, and federal justice and public safety agencies nationwide. Through training classes, technical workshops, and hands-on assistance, SEARCH trains and assists investigators in methods to prevent, detect, and investigate the rising tide of computer crime, also referred to as e-crime, cybercrime, or high-tech crime. These crimes include fraud, email threats, online stalking, identity theft, phishing, drug trafficking, cyber terrorism, and child exploitation. During FY16, SEARCH HTCTS stafF: 1. Trained more than 2,600 law enforcement professionals in 26 classroom and conference workshop settings throughout the nation. The topics included: Online Investigations: Tools, Tips and Techniques; Core Skills for the Investigation of Mobile Devices; Windows Forensic Environment for On-Scene Triage; Human Trafficking: Using the Internet to Investigate Your Case; Mobile Devices: What Evidence is Available to Corroborate Your Case; searching social media sites for evidence, and more. Staff also presented at 17 national or regional high-tech crime conferences. To ensure that students receive the most up-to-date information and techniques, SEARCH staff continuously updates course curricula to include the most recent information and innovations in the field. Staff also maintains the equipment in multiple mobile training laboratories, to ensure that students are working with the latest software and hardware available. 2. Responded to 177 requests for technical assistance from law enforcement throughout the nation. This assistance included identifying the legal contact for various Internet service providers (ISP), helping extract data from mobile devices, capturing digital evidence from webpages, and advising on digital evidence triage. 3. Produced resources to assist law enforcement personnel with investigations involving digital evidence. This included: - Distributing more than 3,096 publications to law enforcement agencies across the nation. - Providing access to online training services to more than 90 law enforcement professionals. - Maintaining the SEARCH Investigative Toolbar, which provides law enforcement professionals with quick links to a vast network of resources regarding technology-facilitated crime. - SEARCH staff completely redesigned the toolbar for the Firefox, Chrome, and Safari web browsers and it is now hosted on the web stores (Firefox and Chrome) or through the SEARCH website, as opposed to a third-party provider. It was launched Jan. 1, 2016. Between Jan. 1-June 30, 2016, it was downloaded more than 3,600 times with an average daily use of 274 a day. - Continued to produce video presentations in the area of High-Tech Crime Investigations. - Researched and wrote four whitepapers in the area of High-Tech Crime Investigations, and developed two meeting recaps: - Imaging a Microsoft Surface Pro Tablet Using a WinFE Thumb Drive - A Guide to Using Facebook Graph Search - A Guide to Using URL Manipulations to Find More Information on Facebook - Interviewing Children in Technology-Facilitated Crimes - 2014 State of the States Cyber Crime Consortium Meeting Recap - 2015 State of the States Cyber Crime Consortium Meeting Recap 4. Continued working on the Legal Research blog, which provides law enforcement and prosecutors with the ability to research current trends in digital evidence as it relates to case law. The legal wiki was made available May 1, 2016, to the ICAC Trask Force Training program, with an initial sign-up of 36 users. This effort is continuing into the next fiscal year. 5. Tools that streamline and enhance investigations are vital to law enforcement. Unfortunately, many of the digital forensic tools available today are very expensive and not within the limited budgets of some law enforcement agencies. To address this growing issue, SEARCH HTCTS staff continues to invest”

“SEARCH's Law and Policy Program (L&P) improves public safety by helping federal, state, local, and tribal entities develop responsible justice information management laws, policies, and procedures. This is accomplished through application of experience and knowledge, research, and by national projects that examine emerging trends and issues that have the potential to impact the collection, maintenance, and exchange of justice information. To achieve program initiatives, the L&P Program endeavors to monitor and inform policymakers on developments in justice information management; assist in establishing policies that promote balance between societal interests and individual rights; provide policymakers with resources to support the adoption of effective information management policies, procedures, and guidelines; assist operational staff in day-to-day decision-making; and develop resources to improve state participation in the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), the Interstate Identification Index (III, which is the national criminal records exchange system), and other national efforts. During FY16, SEARCH L&P activities included the following: National Criminal History Improvement Technical Assistance Program This project provides technical assistance to states and federal entities under the National Criminal History Improvement Program (NCHIP) and the NICS Act Record Improvement Program (NARIP) to enhance and improve criminal history systems and related records. -In-house Technical Assistance- During the period July 1, 2015-June 30, 2016, SEARCH staff provided in-house technical assistance to the following: - 17 states--Alabama (2), Alaska (1), Georgia (1), Idaho (4), Maine (1), Massachusetts (1), Michigan (1), Missouri (1), Montana (1), Nebraska (1), Nevada (1), Ohio (1), Oregon (1), South Carolina (1), Texas (3), Utah (1) and Washington (1)--and to the District of Columbia (6). - 3 federal agencies: FBI, United States Congress, and the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS). - 2 universities: University of Alabama and Villanova University School of Law. - 3 media outlets: WDAS News Kansas City, The Wall Street Journal, and Bloomberg BNA. - 6 national organizations: National Criminal Justice Association, Institute for Intergovernmental Research, National Institute of Corrections, SEARCH Membership Group, National Center for State Courts, and the Center for American Progress. - 3 other individuals/entities: Bain & Company, Boston, MA; Massachusetts Institute for a New Commonwealth; and Philadelphia Community Legal Services, Inc. -On-Site Technical Assistance- During the period July 1, 2015-June 30, 2016, SEARCH staff provided on-site technical assistance to the following: National Center for State Courts (NCSC) - Criminal Justice Risk/Needs Assessments: Mental Health Input - Staff worked with 12 representatives from the NCSC, the Institute for Intergovernmental Research (IIR), and state and local representatives to document business processes and data requirements for criminal justice risk/needs assessments, focusing particularly on the data sources for historical information regarding offenders' criminal histories and mental health and anti-social behaviors. NCSC - Criminal Justice Risk/Needs Assessments: Substance Abuse Inputs - Staff worked with 12 representatives from the NCSC, IIR, and state and local representatives to document business processes and data requirements for criminal justice risk/needs assessments, focusing particularly on the data sources for historical information regarding offenders' criminal histories and substance use disorders. Puerto Rico - CAD system and Interfaces to NCIC - SEARCH worked with the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico to help improve its Computer-Aided Dispatcher (CAD) system implementation and interfaces to the National Crime Information Center (NCIC). Omaha, Nebraska - Prosecutor Outreach to Improve Criminal History Records - Staff met with officials of the Lancaster Coun”

“Uniform Law Commission (ULC) - At a March 2016 meeting of the ULC Criminal Records Accuracy drafting committee meeting, SEARCH staff provided information about how criminal history records are created and maintained by state repositories. 2016 Nlets Annual Business Meeting - Staff attended the June 2016 Nlets Annual Business Meeting in St. Petersburg Beach, Florida, to share SEARCH activities with strategic partners, and to meet with BJS Deputy Director Gerard Ramker to discuss future efforts to re-evaluate the utility of the standardized rap sheet. Americans for Responsible Solutions Briefing - At a May 2016 public forum sponsored by Americans for Responsible Solutions, held in Washington, DC, staff provided a briefing on the NICS databases and NICS Point of Contact (POC) states. National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) Midyear Meeting Rap Back Presentation - Staff attended and provided a presentation about rap back at the NCSBN midyear meeting in Baltimore, Maryland, in March 2016. Following the session, SEARCH staff and fielded many questions about rap back (a continuous criminal record monitoring service used to obtain criminal records checks and satisfy post-employment background check requirements, as compared to traditional background checks, which provide a "snapshot" of a person's criminal history). Data Collection and Publication of Criminal History-Related Surveys and Materials Reporting Mental Health Records to the NICS Index: A SEARCH White Paper - This paper, developed by the SEARCH Mental Health Records in NICS Focus Group, and published July 2015, provides information about how mental health records become a part of the NICS Index, while examining common misconceptions about these records in the NICS. It also highlights the collective success states have had in making these records available to the NICS to enhance firearms background checks. State Progress in Record Reporting for Firearm-Related Background Checks: Mental Health Submissions - SEARCH coauthored this research report, published by BJS in February 2016, that examines the progress states have made in reporting mental health data for firearm-related background checks, and that identifies potential strategies for overcoming barriers to reporting these records to the NICS. 2014 Repository Operations Survey - SEARCH conducted a survey of the state criminal history repositories that presented a snapshot of criminal history information system data and operations as of December 31, 2014. During this reporting period, staff completed edits suggested by BJS staff, and submitted the final survey draft for publication. The survey was published March 29, 2016, and was made available on the SEARCH and BJS websites. 2016 Repository Operations Survey - During FY16, Staff began to review and update the questionnaire that will be proposed to BJS for the 2016 Survey of State Criminal History Information Systems, and submitted the survey draft to BJS for review and approval.”