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1966 LAW ENFORCEMENT BULLETIN FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE J. EDGAR HOOVER, DIRECTOR MAY 1966 VOL. 35 NO. 5 -_._• -.~-.- THE COVER-The FBI is developing a nation• wide computerized crime in/ormation system_ See page 2_ LAW ENFORCEMENT BULLETIN CONTENTS Message From Director]' Edgar Hoover. Z A National Crime Information Center. 2 A Twentieth Century Approach to Judicial Admin- e istration, by Hon. Henry Ellenbogen, President Judge, Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny County, Pittsburgh, Pa. 7 Nationwide Crimes cope . .. 11 For the "Want" of a Horse-A Bank Robber Is Caught. 12 War Declared on Pranksters. 19 Admissibility of Standard Writings . 20 Published by the 24 FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION Wanted by the FBI. ........ UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE Washington, D.C. 20535 THE FBI IS DEVELOPING a nationwide informa• persons. Other phases will be added as the cen• tion system to serve law enforcement agencies ter develops. The goal is an increasing reservoir throughout the country. It will be known as the of scientifically stored data on criminal activities, National Crime Information Center and will be gathered by Federal and local departments, which located at FBI Headquarters in Washington, D.C. will give the officer on the street or any agency in any part of the country up-to-the-minute infor• This new information center will complement mation, upon request. computerized systems already in operation as well as thove being planned by local and State Certainly, the random-access computer is not enforcement agencies. Eventually, it will be the the whole answer to the Nation's crime problem. hub of a vast information network which will Yet, all enforcement officials are enthusiastic serve as a rapid means of processing, storing, about computerized information systems and retrieving, and instantly transmitting vital police their great potential for improving police opera• information, national in scope, to any point in the tions, investigations, and analyses by making country in a matter of seconds. necessary information immediately available. Today, computer and communication technology Advisory groups are currently making studies e has eliminated two major problems-burden• of processing needs so that uniform standards some volume and time lag-which make a man• and coding definitions may be drawn up and ap• ually operated national system impracticable. proved. With assistance of representatives from other law enforcement agencies, electronics ex• Cooperation is the keynote of success in law perts are working on procedures to effect a enforcement. The development of local and smooth, compatible interchange of infonpation State computerized systems is necessary for a by all participants in the network. When spe• successful national crime information center. cific rules are established, rigid adherence to and The FBI welcomes this opportunity to extend our strict compliance with such regulations will be cooperative efforts through the establishment of mandatory if the center is (0 provide optimum this center. We are anxious to help bring the service. full impact of electronics into the fight against crime and violence. We believe the National The FBI center is expected to be in limited Crime Information Center will materially in• operation by January 1967. Initial services to crease the effectiveness of our profession and be programed include data on stolen automobiles, assist law enforcement in its primary objective• other identifiable stolen propelty, and wanted protecting human life and property. MAY 1, 1966 A National Crime I nformation Center View of computer system planned for FBI center. ANEW AND POWERFUL weapon was conceived for law and order when, in September 1965, the FBI embarked on the development of a national elec• tronic information system to be known as the National Crime Infor• mation Center. With rapid progress being made to place this vital network at lawen• forcement's disposal, the center is being set up by the FBI to comple• ment the development of electroni::: information systems-metropolitan or statewide in nature---and to coor• dinate the setting of standards which _ II enable all systems to readily inter• ange information. Ultimate Goal The planners visualize an ultimate information network encompassing the entire United States which will make available to each law enforce• System will feature random-access storage. ment agency, in a matter of seconds, Need lor State-Local Systems national system. It is most important the facilities of an information file na• to avoid any concept that a national tional in scope. No longer will the The logical development of elec• system eliminates the need for systems mobility of today's criminal element tronic information systems proceeds of lesser geographical scope---metro• afford a sanctuary, even temporary, from local metropolitan systems to politan and statewide systems must as information will be readily avail• statewide systems and then to a na• develop to serve local needs which able to any participant in the system tional system. In effect, each suc• could not possibly be met by any na• concerning any criminal or criminal ceeding system would afford greater tional system. The ultimate nation• act regardless of geographic bound• geographical coverage. The informa• wide network will not be achieved anes. tion stored at each level will depend until such systems develop in each The prospect of such a system ex• on actual need, with local metropoli• State and the larger metropolitan cites the imagination of the law tan systems naturally having a data population centers. enforcement community as it would base much broader than that of either enable local officers, through coast-to• the statewide or national system. By As a major step to establishing a coast and border-to-border coopera• the same token, State systems will nationwide system, the FBI has con• tion, to close ranks against the crim• store information of statewide inter• tracted with the Institute for Tele• eal element. est which will not be stored within a communications Sciences and Aeron• May 1966 3 N - HIGH SPEED ClIICUITS -- LOW SPEED CIRCUITS • TERMINAL INTERCHANGES • TERMINALS Courtesy Washington Evening+ Sa A preliminary concept of a completed nationwide network omy, Environmental Science Services Develop telecommunications op• Gains in 7'echnology Administration, Department of Com• tions to fulfill National Crime In• Progressive law enforcement has al· merce, to survey all existing telecom• formation Center requirements. munications networks throughout the ways been quick to recognize the value United States and to recommend a net• Initially the FBI's ational Crime of scientific and technological ad• work that would best support a nation• Information Center will include stolen vances which could improve its opera• wide computerized system . T his automobiles unrecovered after a speci. tions. Many tools used in the never-ending war against criminals study will be completed by luly 1, fied time, stolen property in certain and rising crime rates have had their 1966. It will comprehensively cover categories, and some wanted persons. origin in the research laboratory. We the following points: The information stored in the national system will largely be entered directly have seen startling developments in A study of National Crime Infor• into it by participants and will be im• scientific detection methods, as well as mation Center computer charac• dramatic improvements in the com• mediately available to local users teristics. munications field, increase our effec• throughout the United States on di• A study of existing information tiveness over the years although these rect inquiry. This step-by-step ap• systems. have not been universally applied proach was adopted as the most prac• A study of existing and planned because of economic reasons. It telecommunications networks. tical means of establishing the nucleus would be difficult, for instance, to Determine data transmission re• of a nationwide network and of put• visualize operating an efficient police quirements for the ational ting such a network into operation. agency today without the availability Crime Information Center sys• Other applications will be added as of a crime laboratory or the use of tem. they become feasible. radio communications facilities. 4 FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin ~ l One of the more recent technologi- codes. All work assigned to compu- Standards Necessary developments and one which has ters to date has necessarily been lim- I ad, and will have even greater, im- ited to that which could be processed The initial study in connection with pact in the field of law enforcement, is sequentially due to constraints im- the National Crime Information Cen- the computer. This highly versatile posed by available equipment. How- ter showed that the several systems electronic device is currently being ever, with the developing of computers already in limited operation were not used to assist in police management having randomaccess storage and the altogether compatible and as a result and to provide information for oper- resultant adaptation to operational could not effectively interchange r ational functions. A means of stor- use through communications ad- information. I ing and rapidly retrieving needed in- vances, it becomes apparent that the It became apparent in early plan- I. formation is most vital to the efficient FBI can contribute a valuable and ning stages that in order to have an ,. and effective operation of any lawen- constructive service to all law enforce- efficient network which would ulti- forcement agency. It is only second ment. mately give nationwide coverage, cer- in importance to a staff of highly tain standards would have to be form- trained and conscientious personnel. Center's Heart ulated. The assistance of the Com- On the management side, the com- mittee on Uniform Crime Records, The highspeed computers which puter can compile reams of statistical International Association of Chiefs of will make up the heart of the National information not only for standard Police, was requested.