Justice Department Opens Application Period for Tribal Access Program, Enhancing Tribal Access to National Crime Information Databases

Great Falls, June 29, 2023 - The Justice Department has announced the commencement of the application period for federally recognized Tribes and intertribal consortia to participate in the Tribal Access Program (TAP) for National Crime Information. This program aims to improve public safety by granting Tribes the ability to access and exchange data with national crime information databases for authorized criminal justice and non-criminal justice purposes.

Attorney General Merrick B. Garland emphasized the importance of breaking down barriers to criminal justice information that Tribal communities have faced for years. By expanding their access to national crime databases through the Tribal Access Program, the Justice Department aims to enhance law enforcement efforts and coordination in Tribal communities.

The Tribal Access Program has already proven its effectiveness in strengthening Tribal criminal justice agencies. Participating Tribes have successfully shared critical information, such as missing persons reports, apprehended fugitives, registered sex offenders, and enforcement of protection orders. Moreover, the program has facilitated hundreds of entries into the FBI's National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) Indices database, preventing prohibited individuals from obtaining firearms illegally.

Through TAP, Tribes are provided with training, a web-based application, and biometric/biographic kiosk workstations for processing fingerprints, capturing mugshots, and submitting information to the FBI's Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) systems. Currently, 123 federally recognized Tribes are participating in TAP, and the application period for new Tribes will run from July 3 to Sept. 1. The selection process will be completed in September, and successful Tribes will be notified accordingly.

Chief Chris Rutherford of the Poarch Creek Tribal Police expressed the value of the program, stating that it has provided their officers with cost-effective access to the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) system. This has significantly enhanced their operations, allowing them to access crucial information from patrol vehicles, desks, and the Emergency Tribal Dispatch Center.

For Tribes interested in applying, TAP staff will conduct informative webinars throughout July and August, explaining the program's capabilities and benefits. To access webinar dates, times, and further information about TAP, visit www.justice.gov/tribal/tribal-access-program-tap.

The Justice Department offers TAP services through two methods: TAP-LIGHT, which provides full access to national crime information databases, and TAP-FULL, which includes a kiosk workstation for submitting and querying fingerprint-based transactions.

To be eligible for TAP, Tribes must have and agree to use the program for at least one of the following purposes: maintaining a Tribal sex offender registry, possessing a Tribal law enforcement agency with arrest powers, operating a Tribal court issuing orders of protection, or having a Tribal government agency responsible for screening foster care placements or investigating child abuse/neglect allegations.

Funding for TAP is provided by multiple offices within the Justice Department, including the 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, highlighting the commitment to supporting Tribal law enforcement and protecting Tribal communities.

Department of Justice Announces Program to Enhance Tribal Access to National Crime Information Databases

Department of Justice Tribal Access Program (TAP) Will Improve the Exchange of Critical Data

Department of the Interior Companion Program to Provide Name-Based Emergency Background Checks for Child Placement

The Department of Justice is launching an initial phase of the Tribal Access Program for National Crime Information (TAP) to provide federally-recognized tribes access to national crime information databases for both civil and criminal purposes.  TAP will allow tribes to more effectively serve and protect their communities by ensuring the exchange of critical data.

This initial phase of TAP was announced today in a meeting with tribes held during the 2015 Department of Justice/FBI Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) Division Tribal Conference in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

“Federal criminal databases hold critical information that can solve crimes, and keep police officers and communities safe,” said Deputy Attorney General Sally Quillian Yates.  “The Tribal Access Program is a step forward to providing tribes the access they need to protect their communities, keep guns from falling into the wrong hands, assist victims and prevent domestic and sexual violence.  Empowering tribal law enforcement with information strengthens public safety and is a key element in our ongoing strategy to build safe and healthy communities in Indian country. ”

“The FBI is pleased to participate in this initiative,” said Executive Assistant Director Amy Hess of the FBI’s Science and Technology Branch.  “This will be a positive step for the tribal agencies to receive valuable criminal information and also for those same tribal agencies to submit criminal information at the national level.  Through this partnership, information becomes richer and communities can become safer.”

TAP will support tribes in analyzing their needs for national crime information and help provide appropriate solutions, including a-state-of-the-art biometric/biographic computer workstation with capabilities to process finger and palm prints, take mugshots and submit records to national databases, as well as the ability to access CJIS systems for criminal and civil purposes through the Department of Justice.  TAP will also provide specialized training and assistance for participating tribes.

While in the Tribal Law and Order Act of 2010 Congress required the Attorney General to ensure that tribal officials that meet applicable requirements be permitted access to national crime information databases, the ability of tribes to fully participate in national criminal justice information sharing via state networks has been dependent upon various regulations, statutes and policies of the states in which a tribe’s land is located.  Therefore, improving access for tribal law enforcement to federal criminal information databases has been a departmental focus for several years.  In 2010, the department instituted two pilot projects, one biometric and one biographic, to improve informational access for tribes.  The biographic pilot continues to serve more than 20 tribal law enforcement agencies.

Departments of Justice and Interior Working Group

In 2014, the Departments of Justice and the Interior (DOI) formed a working group to assess the impact of the pilots and identify long-term sustainable solutions that address both criminal and civil needs of tribes.  The outcome of this collaboration was the TAP, as well as an additional program announced today by the DOI’s Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) that provides tribes with national crime information prior to making child placement decisions in emergency circumstances.  Under the BIA program, social service agencies of federally recognized tribes will be able to view criminal history information  accessed through BIA’s Office of Justice Services who will conduct name-based checks in situations where parents are unable to care for their children.

“Giving tribal government programs access to national crime databases through DOJ’s Tribal Access Program for National Crime Information is a tremendous step forward towards increasing public safety in Indian Country,” said Assistant Secretary Kevin K. Washburn for Indian Affairs at the Department of the Interior.  “The Bureau of Indian Affairs Office of Justice Services’ Purpose Code X program provides a much-needed tool for tribal social service agencies when they must find safe homes to place children during temporary emergency situations.”

In the initial phase of the TAP program, the biometric/biographic workstations will be deployed to up to 10 federally-recognized tribes who will provide user feedback.  This phase will focus on assisting tribes that have law enforcement agencies, while in the future the department will seek to address needs of the remaining tribes and find a long-term solution.  The department will continue to work with Congress for additional funding to more broadly deploy the program.

The Department of Justice’s Chief Information Officer manages TAP. 

“It is our hope that TAP can minimize the national crime information gap and drive a deeper and more meaningful collaboration between the federal, state, local and tribal criminal justice communities,” said Chief Information Officer Joseph F. Klimavicz for the department.