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Clearinghouse with the goal of identifying and preventing dual participation in the $80 billion SNAP and Disaster SNAP. (The latter program provides aid to disaster- affected beneficiaries.)
The five states share SNAP recipient information, and the clearinghouse uses advanced linking technology and identity analytics to deter- mine whether applicants are receiving multiple benefits within and across states. It detects problems in real time, allowing states to query the repository when someone ap- plies for SNAP and instantly receive an alert if the person is already getting assistance elsewhere.
The information is stored in the LexisNexis Secure Data Cloud and updated automati- cally through a secure file transfer between the states and the company.
Reshma Khatkhate, senior program administrator at the Mississippi Department of Human Services’ Division of Field Operations; NAC Project Lead Tim Meeks; and Rut- ledge McMillin, staff attorney at the Department of Human Services, discussed the proj- ect with GCN via email.
“Several states have expressed interest in joining the NAC, and we are excited about the NAC potentially going nationwide in the future,” they wrote. “NAC is a versatile solution, which can be integrated into the states’ existing eligibility systems using web services, batch process or a portal search. Data exchange takes place using Secure File Transfer Protocol. Participating states have [memorandums of agreement] in place for data sharing.”
Since NAC’s pilot launch in
2015, it has saved the states about $10 million, includ- ing $4.4 million when it was implemented and found the first group of duplicate par- ticipants. Now NAC identifies more than 2,000 fraudsters or ineligible participants each month. If deployed nationally — NAC’s ultimate goal — the savings could top $200 mil- lion annually.
— Stephanie Kanowitz
Bringing big data to firearm forensics
NIST’s Ballistics Toolmark Research Database is helping law enforcement match bullets to guns with greater speed and precision — and creating the data to advance the forensics even further
The ability to match a bullet
NJ AUTOMATES PAROLEE DATA FEED TO FBI
The Supervised Release File project notifies officers nationwide when they encounter one of the more than 15,000 individuals under parole supervision in New Jersey
When police officers pull someone over during a
traffic stop, they can check the driver’s license and vehicle registration and query local databases for any outstanding issues. For the most part, though, information on criminal activity is spread across databases and paper files at thou- sands of local, state and federal agencies, making it difficult for officers to determine if the driver poses a threat. Even if they tap into the FBI’s databases, they have no way to check the current supervision status of someone on parole.
That is, unless that person is under the supervision of the New Jersey State Parole Board.
Thanks to a bridge system that sends real-time updates on parolees to the FBI National Crime Information Center’s Supervised Release File, police anywhere in the country can see the history and status of a New Jersey parolee.
Although the state’s parole board information system
(PBIS) contains current case information on 15,000 parolees, “what we needed to do was build a mechanism to connect that to the NCIC system,” said Jeremy Jedynak, IT director and project lead at the New Jersey State Parole Board.
The Supervised Release File Project uses new middleware that enables legacy applications to share data with the newer platforms via a gateway belonging to the New Jersey State Police.
Now when a photo or other piece of identifying informa- tion is posted in the PBIS, it is automatically updated in the FBI’s system. The system tells officers what offenses the parolee committed, where and for how long he or she was incarcerated, and how to contact the agency and parole of- ficer supervising that parolee.
Besides giving officers critical information about those they question, the Supervised Release File Project has also improved the efficiency of operations and decision-making. Additionally, the infrastructure will allow the agency to similarly automate all warrant issuances and confirmations via NCIC’s Wanted Person File.
— Matt Leonard
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