The Department of Justice has announced the opening of the application period for federally recognized Tribes and intertribal consortia to join the Tribal Access Program (TAP) for National Crime Information. This initiative aims to enhance public safety by enabling Tribes to access and exchange data with national crime information databases, including the FBI’s National Crime Information Center (NCIC).
The program provides necessary tools such as software, hardware, training, a web-based application, and biometric/biographic kiosk workstations for processing fingerprints and mugshots. Applications will be accepted from July 9 to August 29, with notifications sent out in September. Currently, 149 federally recognized Tribes are participating in TAP.
Through TAP, Tribes have been able to share information on missing persons; enter domestic violence orders of protection; register sex offenders; run criminal histories; locate fugitives; enter bookings and convictions; and perform fingerprint-based record checks for non-criminal justice purposes like employee or volunteer screenings.
Suzanne Drywater, Senior Director of Justice Services for the Cherokee Nation said: “As a TAP Pilot Tribe, the Cherokee Nation has been participating in TAP for many years. 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 interested in applying, informational webinars about the program will be held throughout July and August. Further details can be found at www.justice.gov/tribal/tribal-access-program-tap.
To qualify for funding under TAP, federally recognized Tribes must utilize it for at least one purpose such as maintaining a Tribal sex offender registry authorized by the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act or having a Tribal law enforcement agency with arrest powers.
TAP is supported by various offices including the Office of Sex Offender Sentencing Monitoring Apprehending Registering Tracking (SMART), Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), Office for Victims of Crime (OVC), and Office on Violence Against Women (OVW). The program is co-managed by the department’s Office of Chief Information Officer (OCIO) and Office of Tribal Justice (OTJ).
