The Sconi

The Department of Justice has announced the opening of the application period for the Tribal Access Program (TAP) for National Crime Information. This program allows federally recognized Tribes and intertribal consortia to access and exchange data with national crime information databases, including the FBI’s National Crime Information Center (NCIC), for authorized purposes.

The TAP provides software, hardware, training, a web-based application, and biometric/biographic kiosk workstations to process fingerprints, take mugshots, and submit information to FBI Criminal Justice Information Services systems. The application period runs from July 9 to August 29, with selected Tribes being notified in September. Currently, 149 federally recognized Tribes are participating in TAP.

Tribes have used TAP to share information about missing persons; enter domestic violence orders of protection; register convicted sex offenders; run criminal histories; locate fugitives; enter bookings and convictions; and complete fingerprint-based record checks for non-criminal justice purposes such as screening employees or volunteers who work with children.

“As a TAP Pilot Tribe, the Cherokee Nation has been participating in TAP for many years,” said Suzanne Drywater, Senior Director of Justice Services for the Cherokee Nation. “From sex offender registrations, law enforcement, foster home certification, human resources, and child support, our tribe has been able to exercise our sovereignty, and TAP has proven to be an invaluable resource that we use daily in a multitude of ways.”

For those considering applying, informational webinars will be conducted by TAP staff throughout July and August. More details can be found at www.justice.gov/tribal/tribal-access-program-tap.

To qualify for funding under this program, federally recognized Tribes must have one or more specific facilities or agencies: a Tribal sex offender registry authorized by the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act; a Tribal law enforcement agency with arrest powers; a Tribal court issuing orders of protection; or a Tribal government agency involved in foster care placement screenings or child abuse investigations.

Funding is provided by several offices within the Department of Justice: Office of Sex Offender Sentencing Monitoring Apprehending Registering Tracking (SMART); Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS); Office for Victims of Crime (OVC); Office on Violence Against Women (OVW). The program is co-managed by DOJ's Office Chief Information Officer along with its counterpart responsible specifically regarding Native American affairs - namely their own dedicated branch known simply as 'Office' too but focusing solely upon matters pertaining directly towards indigenous peoples across America today called "Tribal Justice".