RISS

RISS is a proven, trusted, and innovative program that supports local, state, federal, and tribal criminal justice and public safety agencies in their effort to successfully resolve criminal investigations and ensure officer safety. RISS consists of six regional centers and the RISS Technology Support Center. RISS supports efforts against organized and violent crime, gang activity, drug activity, human trafficking, identity theft, and other regional priorities, while promoting officer safety. RISS offers law enforcement agencies and officers full-service delivery, from the beginning of an investigation to the ultimate prosecution and conviction of criminals. An officer can query intelligence databases, retrieve information from investigative systems, solicit assistance from research staff, utilize surveillance equipment, receive training, and use analytical staff to help prosecute criminals. For more information about RISS, visit www.riss.net.

	Middle Atlantic-Great Lakes Organized Crime Law Enforcement Network® MAGLOCLEN Newtown, Pennsylvania Provides services to Delaware, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and the District of Columbia, as well as Australia, Canada, and England.
	Mid-States Organized Crime Information Center® MOCIC Springfield, Missouri Provides services to Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin, as well as Canada.
	New England State Police Information Network® NESPIN Franklin, Massachusetts Provides services to Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont, as well as Canada.
	Rocky Mountain Information Network® RMIN Phoenix, Arizona Provides services to Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming, as well as Canada.
	Regional Organized Crime Information Center® ROCIC Nashville, Tennessee Provides services to Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia, as well as Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
	Western States Information Network® WSIN Sacramento, California Provides services to Alaska, California, Hawaii, Oregon, and Washington, as well as Canada, Guam and New Zealand.

Contact your in-region RISS Center, or visit www.riss.net for additional information.

MAGLOCLEN 800-345-1322 info@magloclen.riss.net	NESPIN 800-343-5682 info@nespin.riss.net	ROCIC 800-238-7985 info@rocic.riss.net
MOCIC 800-846-6242 info@mocic.riss.net	RMIN 800-821-0640 info@rmin.riss.net	WSIN 800-952-5258 info@wsin.riss.net

RISS, among other criminal justice programs, has different roles and responsibilities; distinctive operational capabilities; multiple sources, formats, and mechanisms to collect and disseminate information; and different customers. Systems such as the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Homeland Security Information Network (HSIN), the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) Law Enforcement Online (LEO), the National Security Agency’s (NSA) Intelink-U, and RISS represent critical components of the Information Sharing Environment (www.ise.gov) and offer valuable services for their individual customers. These systems are not duplicative. Each system provides primary services or programs that make it distinct. RISS maintains criminal intelligence databases, the RISSLeads Bulletin Board, the RISS Automated Trusted Information Exchange™ (ATIX), the RISSGang™ Program, RISSafe, the RISS Officer Safety Website, and a variety of other investigative tools and systems. As a true network, RISS also connects disparate systems that otherwise may not be able to communicate and seamlessly share information. In addition to automated capabilities, RISS provides investigative support, such as analytical services, equipment loans, technical assistance, case funds support, and intelligence research.

Creating one single national information sharing system is not the answer for ensuring seamless communications and information sharing. The goal is to build a capability for disparate systems to connect and communicate by leveraging proven technology. RISS provides a mature and proven infrastructure that is ready to meet the national demand for a seamless information sharing system by connecting disparate systems. These connected systems share information and intelligence both bidirectionally and through direct data transfer. RISS members are able to search the RISS Secure Intranet, known as RISSNET™, and connected systems with a single query in a secure web-based and trusted environment.

RISS is congressionally funded and administered by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), through grant awards. BJA provides funding oversight and program management for the RISS Program.

It is important to note that, although RISS is congressionally funded, it is locally managed. See "Who governs RISS and what is the role of the RISS National Policy Group (RNPG)?" for more information.

The RISS National Policy Group (RNPG) is composed of the six RISS Center Directors and the chair of each RISS Center’s policy board or his or her designee. Each RISS Center has an established policy board or executive committee composed of representatives from member criminal justice agencies in the Center’s multistate region. The primary purpose of center policy boards is to provide direction affecting center policy, operation, and administration. The RNPG is responsible for strategic planning, resolution of operational issues, advancement of information sharing, and decision making affecting the RISS Centers, the nationwide organization, service delivery, member agencies, and related partner organizations.

The RISS Technology Support Center (RTSC) is located in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. The RTSC Manager oversees the operations of the RTSC, which consists of the Applications Development Group and the Intranet Operations Group. The RTSC staff supports technical programs and projects that span the RISS enterprise and support the RISS Centers, including the infrastructure and security of RISSNET and database applications development.

The Institute for Intergovernmental Research (IIR) is a Florida-based nonprofit research and training organization specializing in law enforcement, juvenile justice, and criminal justice issues. IIR serves as the technical service provider for ongoing technical training, research, and analysis services to the RISS Program through the support of grant awards received from BJA. IIR supports RISS by providing project coordination activities, policy development assistance, research and program planning, performance measurement and evaluation, meeting coordination, training, and information systems support. IIR provides for management support and spending related to the operation of RISSNET and RISS database applications, including liaison to RISS information technology operational and applications development components, coordination of information technology support, and processing of technology purchases and acquisitions. IIR has worked with the RISS Program for more than 30 years providing technical assistance support services. For more information about IIR, visit www.iir.com.

The primary customers of RISS and RISSNET are local, state, federal, and tribal law enforcement member agency personnel. Currently, RISS supports the investigative and prosecution efforts of member agencies in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, U.S. territories, Australia, Canada, England, and New Zealand. RISS also provides services and tools to thousands of public safety and private sector partners through the RISS ATIX™ program.

RISS membership has grown to more than 8,900 law enforcement and criminal justice agencies, including more than 110,000 access officers.

Agency membership is required for access to RISS resources, except for RISSafe, RISSGang, and RISS ATIX (see below). Membership is a critical component to ensuring a trusted network of users as well as the integrity of the overall information sharing process and of RISSNET and its related programs and applications. Agency membership fees are nominal.

Each RISS Center has implemented a membership application and policy board approval process. Agency membership is typically open to all local, state, federal, and tribal law enforcement agencies; prosecution agencies; corrections agencies; and others, such as multijurisdictional task forces and regulatory agencies with law enforcement or criminal investigative authority. However, it is important to note that membership in a RISS Center is governed by the specific RISS Center’s rules, procedures, policies, constitution, and/or bylaws.

Law enforcement agencies may access RISSafe, the RISS Officer Safety Website, RISSGang, and other resources—after completing a thorough vetting process— without the requirement to establish RISS membership. In addition, those individuals participating in RISS ATIX also complete a vetting and approval process prior to accessing ATIX resources.

RISS provides services to support law enforcement member agency investigations and prosecutions. RISS services include:

• Information sharing through RISSNET
• Investigative support and research
• Analysis of criminal activity data and development of diverse and varied analytical products
• Loan of specialized investigative equipment
• Loan of confidential funds
• Specialized training, conferences, and meetings
• Publications, bulletins, and educational materials
• Field services support and technical assistance

In 1997, RISS built a secure national information sharing intranet, known as RISSNET. RISSNET is a secure Sensitive But Unclassified (SBU)/Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) law enforcement information sharing cloud provider. RISSNET provides access to millions of pieces of data, offers bidirectional sharing of information, and connects disparate state, local, and federal systems. Agencies can easily connect to RISSNET, share information and intelligence in a secure environment, and query multiple systems simultaneously. Currently, 86 systems are connected or pending connection to RISSNET. In addition, more than 400 resources are available via RISSNET to authorized users; the owners of these resources rely on RISSNET for its secure infrastructure. RISSNET enables users to connect quickly using secure web-based technologies at both National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Level 2 and NIST Level 3.

Resources available on RISSNET include:

• RISSIntel—criminal intelligence databases with nationwide search capabilities. Enables users to conduct a federated search of one, some, or all connected intelligence systems. More than 3 million records are available for search through the RISS intelligence databases. Millions more are available bidirectionally from connected systems.
• RISSafe—officer safety event deconfliction system—available to all law enforcement agencies. Provides the capability to identify conflicts between planned law enforcement operations.
• RISS Officer Safety Website - serves as a nationwide repository for issues related to officer safety.
• RISSGang Program—includes a specialized intelligence database used to collect and disseminate information on criminal gangs and gang members, as well as a website, bulletin board, and library—available to all law enforcement agencies.
• RISS ATIX—a secure platform for law enforcement, public safety, and the private sector to share information—includes secure web pages, discussion forum, document library, and secure e-mail.
• RISSLinks™—instant data visualization and link analysis of database information
• RISS Investigative Leads Bulletin Board (RISSLeads)—secure electronic bulletin board that allows law enforcement agencies to post information regarding a particular case or other law enforcement issues.
• RISSNET Search—a search engine that canvasses multiple information sources.
• RISS Center websites
• RISS technical assistance website (TECHPage)
• Various state, regional, federal, and specialized criminal intelligence databases and resources.
• Secure e-mail

Currently, 86 systems are connected or pending connection to RISSNET. RISSNET serves state law enforcement systems, High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) network systems, and federal and other systems electronically connected to RISSNET. Examples of connected systems include:

• FBI Criminal Justice Information Services Division (CJIS) Enterprise Portal
• Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC) Electronic Learning Portal
• Association of Law Enforcement Intelligence Units (LEIU)
• Nlets—The International Justice and Public Safety Network
• El Paso Intelligence Center (EPIC)
• National Virtual Pointer System (NVPS)
• U.S. Department of Justice, Criminal Division
• National Gang Intelligence Center (NGIC)
• U.S. Secret Service, National Threat Assessment Center (NTAC)
• California Department of Justice, Bureau of Investigation
• Oregon State Intelligence Network
• Utah Law Enforcement Information Network
• Wyoming Criminal Justice Information Network
• Colorado Law Enforcement Intelligence Network
• National Security Agency (NSA) Intelink-U
• Delaware State Police Intelligence System

Access to RISSNET can be achieved through a single computer connection using an Internet Service Provider (ISP) or via a RISSNET node connection of an agency information technology system. Member agency staff members should contact their in-region RISS Center for an enrollment package. The enrollment package provides step-by-step instructions for connecting to RISSNET. In addition, RISS has moved to an industry standards secure web-based authentication technology. To find out how to connect to RISSNET, contact your in-region RISS Center. For RISS Center contact information, visit www.riss.net/Centers/Centers.

The RISSNET Portal provides users with a streamlined log-on process, ease of access to resources, and enhanced search capabilities to RISSNET and partner resources. For additional information, visit www.riss.net.

The technical capabilities and systems architecture implemented by RISS allow authorized users to interact electronically with one another in a secure environment. RISSNET protects these transmissions through the use of encryption, user authentication, Internet protocol security standards, and firewalls to prevent unauthorized access.

RISS uses XML (Extensible Markup Language), a worldwide technology standard, for communication between web-based applications. RISS supports multiple XML exchanges, both in-house formats and community-based standards, to facilitate the sharing of criminal intelligence information with RISS member agencies and law enforcement standards. RISS has been actively involved with the Global Justice Information Sharing Initiative (Global) Intelligence Working Group to develop standards for the justice community. Data exchanges developed by RISS are compatible with such standards as the Global Reconciliation Data Dictionary (RDD), the Global Justice XML Data Model (GJXDM), the National Information Exchange Model (NIEM), and the Logical Entity eXchange Specifications (LEXS). For more information on Global and XML, visit www.it.ojp.gov.

All RISS criminal intelligence databases comply with 28 CFR Part 23, issued by BJA. All criminal intelligence databases electronically connected to RISSNET, which 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. For additional information on 28 CFR Part 23, visit www.riss.net/Policy/CFR.

RISS firmly 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 endorses the National Criminal Intelligence Sharing Plan recommendation to ensure that "the collection, submission, access, storage, and dissemination of criminal intelligence information conforms to the privacy and constitutional rights of individuals, groups, and organizations" and that "law enforcement agencies shall adopt, at a minimum, the standards required by the Criminal Intelligence Systems Operating Policies federal regulation (28 CFR Part 23)." RISS Centers have adopted a privacy policy that fully complies with 28 CFR Part 23 and is based on the Global Justice Information Sharing Initiative (Global) privacy guidelines. All RISS member agencies have also agreed to comply with the requirements of 28 CFR Part 23 with respect to any criminal information they submit into applicable RISS criminal intelligence databases. RISS strongly encourages its member agencies and, indeed, all law enforcement agencies to voluntarily adopt appropriate and clearly defined privacy and security safeguards for all agency intelligence missions to manage and control collection, retention, and dissemination activities. To access the RISS Privacy Policy, visit www.riss.net/Policy/Privacy.

All six RISS Criminal Intelligence Databases (RISSIntel) are electronically connected via RISSNET. In addition, the RISSIntel user interface provides for real-time, online federated search of a number of connected RISS partner intelligence databases. These include various state systems and CalGang and provide the capability for a federated search of one, some, or all connected databases. RISSIntel contains millions of records. These records include individuals, organizations, and associates suspected of involvement in criminal activity, as well as locations, vehicles, weapons, and telephone numbers. When information is located in the database, called a "hit," the users are referred to agencies that have additional information. The databases are designed to encourage exchange of information and coordination among member agencies investigating the same individuals or organizations.

Member agencies may access the databases via RISSNET or may contact center intelligence technician research staff directly, via telephone or e-mail, for assistance.

Member agencies are able to submit large volumes of data for inclusion in the databases through software applications implemented by RISS.

One of RISS’s primary goals is to provide law enforcement with a conduit for sharing criminal intelligence information. By leveraging the RISSIntel applications, 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.

RISSLeads is a secure electronic bulletin board available via RISSNET that allows member law enforcement agencies to post information regarding a particular case or other law enforcement issues. Case information is posted with the intent of generating investigative leads. Member agencies share intelligence by viewing and responding to posted information. RISSLeads allows geographically disparate law enforcement professionals to convene electronically to discuss crime trends or specific cases and share investigative techniques. Both open and private information sharing platforms are available depending on investigative or information sharing needs.

RISS ATIX leverages the RISSNET infrastructure to provide a secure platform for law enforcement, public safety, first responders, and the private sector involved in securing our nation from terrorism and other disasters to share information. Community groups include local, county, state, and tribal levels of emergency management, law enforcement, and government, as well as public and private utilities, transportation, agriculture, chemical manufacturing, private security, environmental protection, banking and finance, and hospitality industries.

The RISS ATIX resources include secure web pages, secure discussion forums, a document library, and secure e-mail. For more information on RISS ATIX, visit www.riss.net/Resources/ATIX.

The RISSGang Program consists of the RISS National Gang Intelligence Database, the RISSGang Website, informational resources, and a secure bulletin board. The database, which is 28 CFR Part 23-compliant, provides law enforcement agencies with access to more than 208,000 gang records, including suspects, organizations, weapons, locations, and vehicles, as well as visual imagery of gang members, gang symbols, and gang graffiti. The website provides a vast amount of resources, information, and publications. The bulletin board provides investigators with secure communications for sharing gang-related information. In an effort to increase the sharing of gang information, RISS is providing access to the RISSGang Program resources to all criminal justice agencies without the requirement to establish RISS membership. For more information on the RISSGang Program, visit www.riss.net/Resources/RISSGang.

RISSafe is an officer safety event deconfliction system. 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. If a conflict is identified, immediate notification to the submitting officer occurs, as well as notification to the conflicted officers by a RISSafe Watch Center. RISSafe makes a significant contribution towards enhancing officer safety and supporting criminal investigations. For more information on RISSafe, visit www.riss.net/Resources/RISSafe.

The RISS Officer Safety Website serves as a nationwide repository for issues related to officer safety, such as concealments, hidden weapons, armed and dangerous threats, officer safety videos, special reports, and training. RISSafe and the RISS Officer Safety Website are two important components of the U.S. Attorney General’s Law Enforcement Officer Safety Initiative, along with VALOR and the Bulletproof Vest Initiative. Efforts are under way to bidirectionally interconnect the secure VALOR Website with the RISS Officer Safety Website.

RISS has endorsed the Fusion Center Guidelines: Law Enforcement Intelligence, Public Safety, and the Private Sector developed by the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and has developed a Fusion Center Partnership Strategy. RISS has developed successful partnerships with fusion centers, including Arizona, Delaware, Hawaii, Pennsylvania, Utah, and others.

In 2004, RISS recognized the need for the secure sharing of critical justice-related information among trusted partner agencies without requiring each partner to maintain and use each other’s security credentials with the initiation of the Trusted Credential Project (TCP). After thoroughly investigating various technologies, RTSC identified Federated Identity as the most suitable model for meeting the requirements of the TCP.

RISS’s early involvement in Federated Identity Management allowed it to participate in two groundbreaking nationwide justice-related information sharing initiatives: (1) the Global Federated Identity and Privilege Management (GFIPM) project and (2) the Law Enforcement Information Sharing Program (LEISP) Federated Identity project. It also led to charter membership in the National Identity Exchange Federation (NIEF).

RISS’s participation in these projects has so far allowed it to provide access to RISSNET users to the federal Joint Automated Booking System (JABS), the National Gang Intelligence Center Website, and other resources. As of December 31, 2011, there were more than 7,800 users from trusted partner systems using Federated Identity Management to access RISSNET resources. RISS has also showcased this technology by supporting the Nationwide Suspicious Activity Reporting (SAR) Initiative (NSI). RISSNET and LEO users can now access SAR data, available from the National Criminal Intelligence Resource Center, via RISSNET.

NIEM’s mission is to develop a unified strategy, partnerships, and technical implementations for national information sharing by joining together communities of interest. NIEM leverages the data exchange standards efforts successfully implemented by Global and extends the GJXDM to facilitate timely, secure information sharing across the whole of the justice, public safety, emergency and disaster management, intelligence, and homeland security enterprise. For more information about NIEM, visit http://www.niem.gov.

RISS maintains a comprehensive performance plan and reports and analyzes performance on a regular basis. Program effectiveness is measured by the delivery and acceptance of RISS reports, data analysis, educational products, policy documents, strategic plans, performance measures, and feedback from RISS Center management and staff and the BJA Program Office.