A National Clearinghouse
The National Crime Information Center (NCIC)
was launched on January 27, 1967 with five files and 356,784 records. By the
end of 2009, NCIC contained more than 15 million active records in 19 files.
NCIC averages 7.5 million transactions per day.
Among many other things, the NCIC helps criminal justice professionals
locate missing and/or unidentified persons.
It also assists law enforcement officers in performing their official duties
more safely and provides them with information necessary to aid in protecting
the general public.
Missing Persons File was implemented in 1975. Records in the Missing Persons File
are retained indefinitely, until the individual is located, or the record is
canceled by the entering agency.
As of December 31, 2006, there were 110,484 active missing person records in the NCIC.
Juveniles under the age of 18 account for 58,763 (a whopping 53.18 %) of the records and
12,657 (11.46 %) were for juveniles between the ages of 18 and 20. *
During 2006, 836,131 missing person records were entered into the NCIC, an increase of 0.19 % from
the 834,536 entered in 2005. Missing Person records cleared or canceled during the same period
totaled 851,940. Reasons for these removals include: a law enforcement agency located the subject,
the individual returned home, or the record had to be removed by the entering agency due to a
determination that the record was invalid.
As of December 31, 2007, there were 6,945 unidentified person records in NCIC.
Of the 6,945 active entries, 1,788 (25.75%) were entered in 2007. This is up
26.54% from the 1,413 entries made in 2006.* The records entered in 2007
consisted of 1,448 (83.22%) deceased unidentified bodies, 23 (1.29%)
unidentified catastrophe victims, and 317 (17.73%) living persons who could
not ascertain their identity. There were 1,051 records canceled or cleared by
the entering agency for reasons such as the remains being identified or the
record being invalid. This was an 11.31% decrease from the 1,185 records
canceled in 2006.
How NCIC Works
Criminal justice agencies enter records into NCIC that are accessible to law enforcement agencies
nationwide. For example, a law enforcement officer can search NCIC during a traffic stop to
determine if the vehicle in question is stolen or if the driver is a wanted by law enforcement.
The system responds instantly. However, a positive response from NCIC is not probable cause for
an officer to take action. NCIC policy requires the inquiring agency to make contact with the
entering agency to verify the information is accurate and up-to-date. Once the record is confirmed,
the inquiring agency may take action to arrest a fugitive, return a missing person, charge a
subject with violation of a protection order, or recover stolen property.
For more information, please visit the FBI's
NCIC site.