RISS

RISS is funded through the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Office of Justice Programs (OJP), Bureau of Justice Programs (BJA). BJA provides funding oversight and program management for the RISS Program. The RISS Centers operate under the Criminal Intelligence Systems Operating Policies (28 Code of Federal Regulations [CFR] Part 23 ) and the Funding and Administration Guidelines of the RISS Program. Each of the six RISS Centers has developed operating policies and procedures that comply with the federal guidelines and regulations. In addition, RISS recognizes the need to ensure that an individual’s constitutional rights, civil liberties, civil rights, and privacy interests are protected throughout the intelligence process. RISS has adopted a privacy policy and strongly encourages its member agencies and all law enforcement agencies to voluntarily adopt appropriate and clearly defined privacy and security safeguards to manage and control collection, retention, and dissemination activities.





The RISS Program is an innovative criminal justice program that receives federal funding to support regional law enforcement efforts to combat major crimes and to promote officer safety. On national-scope issues, the six regional centers initiate joint, cross-center efforts, coordinating and cooperating as one body.

The RISS Program strives to:

• Enhance the ability of local, state, federal, and tribal criminal justice agencies to identify, target, and remove criminal conspiracies and activities spanning multijurisdictional, multistate and, sometimes, international boundaries.
• Facilitate the rapid exchange and sharing of information among the agencies pertaining to known suspected criminals or criminal activity.
• Enhance the coordination and communication among agencies that are in pursuit of criminal conspiracies determined to be interjurisdictional in nature.
• Provide executive and official staff from the public and private sectors with secure interagency communications and information sharing abilities.

RISS strives to provide support to its law enforcement and public safety membership in a manner that promotes the following core values:

• Community and officer safety
• Maintenance of the highest level of data integrity
• Conformity with applicable constitutional and statutory mandates and directives
• Protection of individual rights of privacy, civil rights, and civil liberties
• Leadership in intelligence exchange, cooperation, and coordination
• Maintenance of the regional structure of the RISS Centers
• Responsiveness to the needs of law enforcement and public safety member agencies
• Fiscal responsibility and accountability
• Trained, skilled, and professional employees
• Adherence to standards of ethics and integrity

The RISS Program is a national network of regionally oriented services and national information sharing initiatives designed to support local, state, federal, and tribal law enforcement efforts in combating multijurisdictional criminal activities. Though activities may vary by region, RISS focuses on the support of investigations concerning terrorist activity, narcotics trafficking, organized crime, human trafficking, identity theft, criminal gangs, and violent crime.

The first of the RISS Centers began operating in 1973. The sixth Center was founded and began operations in 1981. In 1997, RISS deployed the RISS Secure Intranet, known as RISSNET, in order to automatically facilitate the exchange of intelligence-related information in a secure encrypted fashion. RISSNET also acts as the communications backbone for a number of law enforcement databases and systems. During 1999, RISS began the expansion of RISSNET to electronically connect state and federal law enforcement agency systems as nodes to provide additional resources to all users.

In September 2002, the Federal Bureau of Investigation Law Enforcement Online (LEO) system interconnected with RISS. In October 2003, the RISS/LEO interconnection was recommended in the National Criminal Intelligence Sharing Plan (NCISP) as the initial SBU communications backbone for implementation of a nationwide criminal intelligence sharing capability. The NCISP encourages agencies to connect their system to RISS/LEO.

In 2002, RISS launched the Automated Trusted Information Exchange (ATIX ) to provide executive and official staff from the public and private sectors with secure interagency communication and information sharing abilities.

In 2006, responding to the recent resurgence of gang-related criminal activity, RISS expanded the RISSGang Program to include a national gang intelligence database, Web site, bulletin board, secure e-mail, and numerous tools and resources regarding gangs and gang activities. The RISSGang Program is available to member and nonmember law enforcement and criminal justice agencies.

In 2008, RISS deployed its officer safety event deconfliction system, known as RISSafe. RISSafe stores and maintains data on planned law enforcement investigative and other events submitted for inclusion, as well as appropriate noninvestigative events, with the goal of identifying and alerting affected agencies or officers of potential conflicts impacting law enforcement efforts.

In 2009, RISS was identified by the Executive Office of the President National Security Council Interagency Policy Committee (IPC) as one of the four sensitive but unclassified (SBU)/controlled unclassified information (CUI) networks necessary to ensure timely and effective information sharing among local, state, federal, and tribal agencies. RISS is a leader in the SBU Interoperability Initiative (SII), working in unison with other partner systems and the Program Manager-Information Sharing Environment. RISS participates on a number of IPC-related committees and working groups and serves as the only nonfederal entity participating in the SII, representing the thousands of state and local law enforcement agencies critical to effective and efficient information sharing.

The RISS National Policy Group (RNPG) is responsible for strategic planning, resolution of operational issues, advancement of information sharing, and decision making affecting the six RISS Centers, the nationwide organization, service delivery, member agencies, and related partners. The RNPG includes each RISS Center Director and the chair of each RISS Center’s policy board.

The RISS Chief Executive Officer serves under the authority of the RNPG and provides coordination and consultation to the RISS Directors to support activities requiring a national collaborative effort.

Each RISS Center has a policy board composed of representatives from member agencies in the center’s multistate region. The policy board members provide direction affecting center operations. Each center has a Director who works under the direction of the policy board and who is responsible for managing overall center activities.

Each RISS Center includes nonoperational personnel with expertise in professional management, intelligence, investigative techniques, analytical processes, field support, and information technology to assist member agency investigations. RISS staff are prohibited from direct involvement in law enforcement operations.

The RISS Office of Information Technology maintains RISSNET and develops and implements the common RISSNET resources.

In addition to a RISS-wide vetting policy, each RISS Center has implemented a membership application and policy board approval process. Agencies desiring to become a member and have access to all RISS resources must sign a membership agreement. Typically, member agencies include local, state, federal, and tribal law enforcement agencies, prosecution agencies, and corrections agencies, and others, such as multijurisdictional task forces and regulatory agencies with law enforcement or criminal investigative authority, are also members. Membership is ultimately governed by the individual RISS Centers’ rules, procedures, policies, constitution, and/or bylaws.

RISS analysts create analytical products for investigators and prosecutors to help increase their ability to identify, detect, and apprehend suspects as well as enhance prosecutorial success in court. These products include highly complex and specialized flowcharts, link-analysis charts, crime scene diagrams, telephone toll analysis, as well as financial analysis reports, digital forensics analysis, and audio/video enhancement services. Analysts also prepare crime surveys, activity assessment reports such as terrorism assessments, and national-scope products for distribution to member agencies. RISS analysts also provide their expertise during court preparation and serve as expert witnesses at trial, as requested.

Digital forensics analysis assists member agencies in the retrieval of data from computers seized during investigations. Digital forensics services are also available to recover deleted files, locate evidence, evaluate the structure of computerized files, and analyze other computer and cellular phone activity. Computer and digital crime and the use of these items in the planning of other crimes continue to be an area of concern for law enforcement. RISS assists the law enforcement community by providing experts in the field and the technical knowledge needed to gather critical information from these electronic devices that aid in criminal investigations.

Audio/visual services are also available and pertain to the enhancement of video footage or audio bites to assist law enforcement in identifying suspects. Analysts have the ability to enhance video footage by extracting elements to present a clear picture; this is extremely useful during robbery and burglary cases. Audio enhancements are useful for undercover operations because the analyst has the ability to remove background and frequency noise, allowing them to clearly identify the suspects.

RISS intelligence research staff respond to requests to conduct database searches and research numerous resources. In some cases, law enforcement agencies have searched a variety of resources and are not able to identify needed information; however, after working with RISS intelligence staff, officers received information that they otherwise may not have had access to and were able to use the information to identify leads or further investigations. The results of these searches are vital to the success in apprehending and prosecuting criminals. RISS member agency access officers may contact center staff by telephone, fax, or e-mail for assistance.

Many agencies cannot afford to purchase and maintain specialized investigative equipment. Without access to this equipment, law enforcement efforts would suffer and some investigations would either go unsolved or require a longer time to resolve. The pieces of highly specialized investigative and surveillance equipment loaned to RISS member agencies make a substantial difference in finding and securing information needed to build cases and to investigate and apprehend criminals. RISS Center equipment staff consult with and train member agencies on the use of equipment and provide expertise in developing specialized equipment.

RISS provides funds to member agencies to purchase information, contraband, stolen property, and other items of an evidentiary nature or to provide for other investigative expenses related to multijurisdictional investigations. The availability and use of confidential funds are controlled by federal guidelines, as well as RISS policies and procedures.

RISS sponsors or cosponsors training classes, meetings, and conferences at the local, county, and state levels across the country, providing law enforcement professionals with a forum to exchange information on regional crime problems and criminal activity. Thousands of criminal justice professionals receive RISS training each year and are educated on methods to combat terrorism activity and gang and violent crime; computer, financial, and economic crime; and emerging crime problems. Subject areas also include the use of specialized equipment, investigative techniques, analytical techniques, surveillance techniques, and officer safety.

Each center develops and distributes numerous publications, bulletins, flyers, reports and other criminal intelligence publications for use by the law enforcement community that highlight local and national issues. Some publications are printed routinely; others are distributed as requested. Publications, training calendars, and various information on RISS services are also posted on RISS Center secure Web sites, available via RISSNET. Member agencies can also search for information on criminal activity and crime patterns contained in the posted publications at each center's Web site. RISS also develops the RISS Insider , which is a quarterly newsletter that provides highlights of new and ongoing initiatives, as well as success stories from RISS member agencies.

The integration of field services is unique to RISS whereby individuals initiate regular contact with law enforcement and public safety agencies to ensure that RISS is meeting their needs. RISS field staff conduct on-site visits to provide technical assistance to member agencies, as well as potential member agencies, to facilitate delivery of RISS services. This may include an explanation and guidance regarding how to request services and various training activities, as well as the use of RISSNET. In addition, field staff conduct 28 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 23 reviews. Field staff have law enforcement backgrounds and provide tailored training and consultation to agencies.

RISSNET was developed using the latest in technology to provide law enforcement agencies with a secure infrastructure, enabling officers nationwide and in partnering countries to communicate and share critical information. RISSNET serves as a secure infrastructure, capable of connecting disparate systems and enabling users to select one or all connected systems to conduct a federated search. RISSNET features secure e-mail, chat, and bulletin board capabilities and acts as the communications backbone and infrastructure for a number of other systems and programs. By connecting systems to RISSNET, rather than funding the buildout of infrastructure for new stand-alone information systems, hundreds of millions of dollars can be saved and millions of data records can be easily and quickly accessed by law enforcement.

The ease of use, speed, security, and power of RISSNET have resulted in increased demand from agencies and officers to use and access RISSNET. In addition to electronic connectivity, RISSNET resources are available by phone, fax, or mail request to RISS Center staff.

RISSNET operates through the public Internet, allowing users to connect quickly using a secure Virtual Private Network, Secure Sockets Layer, and other appropriate safeguards. RISSNET employs Internet technologies, such as the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) Global Justice Information Sharing Initiative (Global) Extensible Markup Language (XML) and the National Information Exchange Model (NIEM) , to connect systems and to safeguard and provide fine-grained access control to resources.

In the development and ongoing maintenance of RISSNET, RISS has placed security as a top priority. In this world of sophisticated, technology-savvy criminals, law enforcement must have a trusted and secure location to share critical information and to collaborate on investigations. RISSNET protects information through use of encryption, virtual tokens, Internet protocol security standards, and firewalls to prevent unauthorized access. The criminal intelligence information accessed through RISSNET is controlled by its law enforcement member agency owners. Thousands of law enforcement agencies and officers, as well as public sector entities, rely on RISSNET for their information and intelligence sharing needs.


All six RISS regional criminal intelligence databases are electronically connected via RISSNET for the exchange of criminal intelligence information between authorized users. All RISS criminal intelligence databases comply with 28 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 23 issued by the Office of Justice Programs (OJP), U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). All criminal intelligence databases electronically connected to RISSNET that are available for member agency access must also comply with 28 CFR Part 23. RISS provides member agencies with training and on-site technical assistance to ensure compliance with the regulation.

One feature offered by RISS is the ability to select one or all of the connected systems and conduct a federated search. The seamless capability has been beneficial to officers on the street who need immediate information, as well as to analysts and other appropriate users involved in developing investigative case information and analyses. In addition to electronic queries, member agency personnel may contact center intelligence research staff directly, via telephone or e-mail, for assistance.

By facilitating the communications and collaboration process, law enforcement personnel can exchange information on similar investigations and work together to solve cases. Member agencies are able to submit large volumes of data for inclusion in the databases through software applications implemented by RISS.

Often, agencies have the need to maintain their own intelligence database but wish to share that information with RISS and other partners. By offering a separate instance of RISSIntel to partner law enforcement agencies, RISS is opening new doors for information sharing. By leveraging the RISSIntel application, agencies can utilize existing technology through an instance of RISSIntel, known as RISS7. Offering this service eliminates the need for agencies to develop new stand-alone systems. Instead, they can operate an autonomous criminal intelligence database to aid in their investigative efforts while being a part of the broader RISSNET community.

In addition, member agencies have access to various state, regional, and federal databases connected to RISSNET. RISS continually strives to maximize information sharing among these systems and increase the number of systems connected to RISSNET.

More information about RISSIntel

As part of the continued commitment to promote and enhance officer safety, RISS deployed the RISS Officer Safety Event Deconfliction System (RISSafe). RISSafe stores and maintains data on planned law enforcement events—such as raids, controlled buys, and surveillances—with the goal of identifying and alerting affected agencies and officers of potential conflicts impacting law enforcement efforts. RISSafe is used in conjunction with mapping software to verify data on event locations when an event is entered into the system.

Staff members supporting this initiative are assigned to a RISSafe Watch Center and are responsible for assisting officers, entering and monitoring events, responding to conflicts, and notifying affected parties. RISSafe Watch Centers are operational throughout the country and additional RISSafe Watch Centers are under development.

More information about RISSafe

The Automated Trusted Information Exchange (ATIX) provides law enforcement, public safety, and critical infrastructure personnel with access to homeland security, disaster, and terrorist threat information, as well as secure communications capabilities. RISS ATIX Participants choose a “community ” group according to their responsibilities. The RISS ATIX resources contain specific information for each community.

The RISS ATIX Web pages contain general and community-specific information, contact information, links to restricted and public Web sites, and other sources of terrorism and disaster-related information.

The RISS ATIX Bulletin Board provides secure online conferences for users to collaborate and post public safety and law enforcement information.

The ATIX Document Library provides informational and educational materials submitted by ATIX Participants and other sources on a variety of topics.

ATIX secure e-mail enables the distribution of alerts and sensitive but unclassified (SBU)/controlled unclassified information (CUI) homeland security information and the secure communication of other information appropriate to exchange using e-mail.

More information about RISS ATIX

The RISS National Gang Program, or RISSGang, is a comprehensive investigative tool consisting of a criminal intelligence database, a Web site, informational resources, and secure communications to aid and support gang-related investigations.

The RISS National Gang Intelligence Database provides law enforcement agencies with easy access to gang information, including suspects, organizations, weapons, locations, and vehicles, as well as visual imagery of gang members, symbols, tattoos, and graffiti.

Users can access additional tools and resources through the RISSGang Web site. Gang-specific news, documents, and publications are organized into topical areas, such as motorcycle gangs, prison gangs, street gangs, drug gangs, graffiti, hand signs, and tattoos.

The secure RISSGang Bulletin Board allows users to post and share questions and case information. Users can contribute material, publications, and other information to the Web site. Training information and a comprehensive dictionary of gang-related terms can also be accessed by users.

RISSGang users are provided with a secure e-mail address and access to RISS ATIX. In addition, through the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) funding, there is no cost for users to become activated or maintain their access to RISSGang.

For additional information about RISSGang: More info

RISS offers users a secure electronic bulletin board known as RISSLeads that allows authorized law enforcement officers to post information regarding cases or other law enforcement issues. Officers post information with the intent of generating investigative leads. Authorized users are able to view and respond to posts, ultimately working together by exchanging information on similar or related cases. RISSLeads is one location for homeland security information available through RISS.

With the volume of information that is available, it is often difficult to see how information links together. Through RISSLinks, a data-visualization tool, users can create link-analysis charts when viewing records in the RISSIntel and RISSGang criminal intelligence databases. When RISSLinks is employed, visual data from a variety of associated records is displayed that enables the users to view associations and make new connections. RISSLinks allows users to visualize connections and produce charts and visual representations of data to aid in the investigative and prosecutorial process.

Member agencies utilize the RISSearch capability to scan and retrieve content from multiple information sources and databases electronically. Members can use the tool to search restricted information sites, sensitive but unclassified (SBU)/controlled unclassified information (CUI) sites, and also selected public Internet sites. RISS is working to expand this feature, which will broaden the information exchange capabilities on RISSNET.

Each RISS Center Web site provides region-specific information and provides users with easy access to the RISS Center criminal intelligence databases and information on other RISS services and resources.

Each RISS Center develops specialized databases to serve the needs of its individual regions, such as the Metals Theft Initiative, Cold Hit Outcome Project (CHOP), and Pawnshop Database.

RISS provides secure electronic communications for RISS members to exchange sensitive information. RISSNET users having a riss.net e-mail address may also exchange secure electronic communications with users from a number of RISS partner systems, including users from FBI LEO, Intelink, and Interpol.