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Publications Overview

For nearly 43 years, SEARCH has prepared and published a wide range of national research, analytical, technical and survey reports, guides and bulletins on a range of timely issues in criminal justice information management, technology, information sharing, communications interoperability, and law and policy, as well as high-tech crime investigations. The U.S. Department of Justice also publishes many of our reports, as do national justice task forces and groups.

Most of our recent reports are available online for download, and we offer a variety of search methods to find the report you want.

Contact Twyla Putt with any publications-related questions.

Featured Reports

	Survey of State Criminal History Information Systems, 2010 This report is based upon the results from a survey conducted of the administrators of the State criminal history record repositories by SEARCH. It presents a snapshot as of December 31, 2010, of 55 jurisdictions: The 50 States, the District of Columbia, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
	Special Bulletin on Firesheep add-on to Mozilla Firefox This document was prepared by SEARCH's High-Tech Crime Training Services team and is disseminated upon request to law enforcement only. It discusses critical issues with a new Mozilla Firefox web browser add-on called Firesheep, protection methods, and implications for law enforcement.
	Web Services and NIEM: Realizing the Value of Available Tools This document serves as a sequel to the Technical Brief on "Using NIEM with Web Services." It describes the various Web Services tools that support the usage of NIEM schemes and introduces code generation tools.
	Information Sharing Case Study: Los Angeles County, California The ability of law enforcement agencies to combat crime and terrorism depends on their ability to acquire, assess, analyze, and share information. In a large metropolitan area like Los Angeles County, California, information sharing between jurisdictions becomes even more important. It is often said that criminals do not respect jurisdictional boundaries, and that crime trends are a regional problem whose solution demands a cross-jurisdictional, collaborative solution. Information sharing is at the core of this solution, and this case study looks at the solution reached by Los Angeles County.
	Survey of State Criminal History Information Systems, 2008 The survey report, the most comprehensive data available on the collection and maintenance of information by state criminal history record systems, describes the status of such systems and record repositories at yearend 2008.
	Technical Brief– A Service-Oriented Architecture Primer for Executives: Why You Should Care This brief outlines the business case for Service-Oriented Architecture to help prepare justice practitioners make key decisions and help facilitate a successful integration strategy.
	Technical Brief– Using NIEM with Web Services The National Information Exchange Model (NIEM) is an XML vocabulary that is quickly gaining popularity as a means to support cross-domain information sharing. “Web services” is a term for a group of industry standards that collectively provide a mechanism for exchanging XML-based messages, such as NIEM messages. One of these standards is the Web Services Description Language (WSDL), which standardizes the specification and description of a web services interface. This brief explains the crucial relationship between NIEM Information Exchange Package Documentation (IEPD) and WSDL.
	Report of the National Focus Group on the Retention of Civil Fingerprints by Criminal History Record Repositories This report examines situations in which fingerprints submitted to state criminal central repositories for applicant criminal record checks are retained. It is based on the National Focus Group's deliberations, a print retention survey of state repositories, and related research.
	Creating a Wireless Network Investigation Toolkit: Basic Hardware and Software Specifications
	Creating a Cellular Device Investigation Toolkit: Basic Hardware and Software Specifications

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Guide to Conducting Privacy Impact Assessments for State, Local, and Tribal Information Sharing Initiatives
This guide allows justice practitioners to examine the privacy implications of their information systems and information-sharing collaborations so they can design and implement policies to address vulnerabilities identified through the assessment process. It also includes a privacy impact assessment template that jurisdictions can use to conduct their assessments.

PIA Guide

PIA Template

Check out a selected list of our latest reports

Now Available: Technical Report No. 13: Standards for the Security and Privacy of Criminal History Record Information (Third ed., revised July 1988)

This foundational report of SEARCH was the first comprehensive statement of SEARCH's recommendations for safeguarding the security and privacy of all criminal justice information. These were originally formulated in 1975, updated in 1978, and revised again in 1988. With Technical Report 13, SEARCH reaffirmed its long-standing commitment to the principle that an individual's right to privacy must be balanced with society's need for criminal history information.