DOJ opens Tribal Access Program applications for national crime data sharing

The Department of Justice has opened the application period for federally recognized Tribes and intertribal consortia seeking to join the Tribal Access Program (TAP) for National Crime Information, the department announced.

The program gives Tribes the ability to access and exchange data with national crime databases, including the FBI’s National Crime Information Center, for authorized criminal justice and non-criminal justice purposes.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said the initiative extends public safety efforts into Indian country, where crime and victimization rates run high. He said TAP, offered by the department for more than a decade, allows Tribal partners to access and share crime data in real time to solve crimes, locate fugitives and keep their communities safe.

According to the department, TAP provides participating Tribes with software, hardware and training, along with a web-based application and biometric and biographic kiosk workstations used to process fingerprints, take mugshots and submit information to FBI Criminal Justice Information Services systems. The department said it will accept applications from July 13 through Aug. 31, with selected Tribes notified in September. There are currently 152 federally recognized Tribes participating in the program, the department said.

The department said Tribes have used TAP to share missing persons information, enter domestic violence protection orders for nationwide enforcement, register convicted sex offenders, run criminal histories, locate fugitives, enter bookings and convictions, and conduct fingerprint-based background checks for non-criminal justice purposes such as screening employees or volunteers who work with children.

Abraham Chavero, chief of police of the La Jolla Tribal Police Department, said TAP has strengthened his department’s operational capacity, improved access to law enforcement resources and expanded training opportunities for officers, while streamlining reporting processes, enhancing data accuracy and improving coordination with partner agencies.

Rebecca Winter, Penobscot Nation Tribal Court administrator, said direct access to national crime information systems has strengthened public safety efforts in her community, allowing the court and its law enforcement partners to access real-time information and better serve tribal members.

The department said TAP staff will hold informational webinars throughout July and August for Tribes considering applying, with details, including webinar dates, times and access information, available on the department’s website.

To qualify for funding, the department said federally recognized Tribes must have — and agree to use TAP for — at least one of the following: a Tribal sex offender registry authorized under the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act; a Tribal law enforcement agency with arrest powers; a Tribal court that issues protection orders; or a Tribal government agency that screens individuals for foster care placement or investigates child abuse and neglect allegations.

TAP is funded through the department’s Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering, and Tracking; the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services; the Office for Victims of Crime; and the Office on Violence Against Women. The program is co-managed by the department’s Office of the Chief Information Officer and Office of Tribal Justice.