Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS)

The FBI’s Criminal Justice Information Services Division, or CJIS, is a high-tech hub in the hills of West Virginia that provides a range of state of-the-art tools and services to law enforcement, national security and intelligence community partners, and the general public. Overview Mission To equip our law enforcement, national security, and intelligence community partners with the criminal justice information they need to protect the United States while preserving civil liberties. History In the summer of 1924, the FBI created an Identification Division (informally called “Ident” in the organization for many years to come) to gather prints from police agencies nationwide and to search them upon request for matches to criminals and crime evidence. The CJIS Division was established in February 1992 out of the former Identification Division to serve as the focal point and central repository for criminal justice information services in the FBI. It is the largest division in the FBI. Programs initially consolidated under the CJIS Division included the National Crime Information Center (NCIC), Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR), and Fingerprint Identification. In addition, responsibility for several ongoing technological initiatives was transferred to the CJIS Division, including the Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System (IAFIS), NCIC 2000, and the National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS). The Complex In January 1991, the FBI purchased 986 acres of land in Clarksburg, West Virginia on which to construct the home of the CJIS Division. Construction started in October 1991 and was completed in July 1995, on time and under budget. The heart of the complex is the 500,000-square foot main office building. Constructed in a modular design, this building is nearly the length of three football fields. It features a 600-seat cafeteria, a 500-seat auditorium, atria for visitors and employees, and a 100,000-square-foot computer center.