Texas Crime Information Center, or as it is commonly called, TCIC, is designed to provide an immediate response to calls regarding stolen property, the wanted, the missing, sex offenders and the like. Texas Crime Information Center (TCIC) operates 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. With the advent of communication technology, the TCIC can be accessed through the Texas Law Enforcement Telecommunications System (TLETS), providing a 12 second-response to inquiries from police departments, sheriffs’ desks, and other criminal justice agencies. TCIC is also directly connected to the National Crime Information Council (NCIC). This gives law enforcement officers instant notification of stolen vehicles and other property, and of wanted persons at large anywhere in the country.
Crime records also assist law enforcement officers in creating online databases to easily obtain information about persons or stolen property. The priority regarding crime records is to check the validity of each entry and the removal of stolen and wanted records within the State.
For you to utilize the Texas Crime Information Center, you need to fill in the data entry form for TCIC. This form is designed to aid court clerks in collecting and providing law enforcement agencies with significant information regarding protective orders for the purpose of entry into TCIC. The form can be accessed online through http://www.txcourts.gov/media/524144/protectiveorderdataentryform.pdf.
The Texas Crime Information Center operates on the objective of ensuring timely delivery of accurate information that is critical to the daily functions of peace officers and other criminal justice agencies. TCIC serves as the index of different reports such as theft, warrants, missing individuals, and other law enforcement information. TCIC is being managed by the crime records. TCIC has the following functions:
• TCIC Biennial Training as required by the FBI policy.
• TCIC Triennial Auditing being done by TCIC audit staff through on-site and mail audits.
• TCIC Control Room that provides quality control review of records entered into TCIC by law enforcement institutions and agencies, as well as a “help desk” type support system.
TCIC is effective as indicated by a high-level of sustained utilization by law enforcement agencies within Texas. Police officers and sheriffs have appreciated the existence of Texas Crime Information Center and have enjoyed the benefits of the program. Law enforcement authorities are confident that a person may be arrested anywhere and anytime across the country if they enter a warrant through TCIC. This indication of effectiveness leads to high participation by different local law enforcement agencies with an average of 5 million transactions monthly.
Texas Crime and Information Center serves approximately 1,000 different agencies including police departments, sheriffs’ offices, prosecutors, probation and parole offices, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, juvenile agencies, and the like. All these agencies are connected to TCIC through the Texas Law Enforcement Telecommunications System or the TLETS.
The TCIC Audit Unit has its triennial schedule to audit all agencies. The TCIC auditors collect information about agencies prior to their visit for the purpose of comparing the actual and the documented reports. The auditors travel to agencies and talk to the Terminal Agency Coordinator, then compare entries to TCIC, review training records, and make note of observations about physical security and compliance issues.
The TCIC training function is carried out through direct classroom instruction by the crime records trainers. There are approximately 1,000 students trained per month.
Lastly, the TCIC Control Room refers to the physical location within the Crime Records Service. It operates 24 hours per day to attend to phone calls and teletypes from different agencies concerning TCIC transactions and other compliance issues.
Texas Criminal Information Center together with the NCIC performs a crucial duty in supporting law enforcement agencies to maintain peace and order as well as public safety within the State of Texas.