The Technology Innovation for Public Safety (TIPS) Program is designed to enable strategic information sharing across crime-fighting agencies and with identified partnerships to address specific local or regional crime problems. Often these efforts will require a multidisciplinary response, involving law enforcement, analysts/investigators, information technology staff, public safety/first responders, adjudications/courts, corrections, human services organizations, and other stakeholders. Applicants are encouraged to propose comprehensive plans that include coordination among multiple stakeholder agencies, shared investment and use of technology services or regional planning as appropriate.
For this solicitation, justice information-sharing technology refers to any technology (hardware and/or software, hosted residentially or remotely) that plays a role in the collection, storage, sharing, and analysis of criminal justice data. Funding under this program is provided to assist state, local, territorial, and tribal jurisdictions in enhancing their justice information-sharing capacity through the use of innovative technological solutions in order to allow them to more effectively address disproportional and precipitous increases in crime(s)
NOTE: The TIPS Program is designed to support innovative applications of technology. This is not an equipment purchasing solicitation. Applications limited to equipment purchases will be ineligible and eliminated from funding consideration.? Any equipment purchase must be directly related to the proposed project and the applicant articulates how it will be used as part of the solution to reduce the identified crime(s), such as:
- Technology Integration – Connection of existing systems to share, reuse, and collaborate across agencies and systems. This could include data-sharing enhancements to existing records management systems, case management systems, state or regional data-sharing networks, analytical tools, and mobile technology platforms. Agencies may also seek to improve information flow among criminal justice system partners to improve the completeness of records on offenders, warrants, cases, and incidents.
- Data Linking and Identity Management – When combining data sources or providing access to multiple data systems, a thoughtful approach is required. Access control rules must be considered and implemented to ensure appropriate access to sensitive information, and protocols for linking records across information silos are needed to ensure that records are complete and free from errors or duplication.
- Mobile Operation – To promote data sharing between officers and investigators in the field, enhancing mobile technologies to allow access to data and analytics remotely, particularly case management-based information, is crucial. Leveraging the force multiplier aspects of mobile data terminals, by leveraging the integration of innovative applications involving mobile devices, enables not only data access but data entry as well. Access to better mobile tools means more time in the field and more efficient personnel management. This is an example where equipment alone does not produce innovation—it is the convergence of technology and process that is critical to innovation.
- National Repositories – Numerous resources exist at the regional and national levels that can assist with investigations that only require minor integration with or modification to current practices. For example, the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN) and eTrace from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) can provide assistance in matching data obtained from crime scenes to link weapons with suspects. Participation in the Federal Bureau of Investigation's (FBI) National Data Exchange (NDEx) or similar systems offers a nationwide incident-based database to compile tips, leads, and referrals to advance investigations.
- Social Network Analysis – Social network analytics, not to be confused with social media supported investigations, can provide valuable information for law enforcement investigators. Tools that perform social network analysis are steadily improving in sophistication and capability. They can serve law enforcement agencies by providing venues for greater collaboration within and outside their organizations, and serve as a means of bringing insights and tips or leads from large and chaotic data sets. Social network analytics need not be limited to traditional tools available to the public and may include private forums designed to facilitate joint investigations, offer de-confliction services, or provide access to supplementary data resources such as pawn or salvage repositories to gain insights into linked criminal behavior within a jurisdiction. Projects in this area must have safeguards in place to ensure the protection of individuals' privacy and civil liberties.
- Expanding Analytical Capacity – Establishing or enhancing a crime analysis center (CAC), real-time crime center (RTCC), or fusion center (FC) can prove a valuable investment, particularly on a regional basis where such a center can offer critical insights based on a larger view of the data than is available within a single agency. Such centers are also uniquely situated to procure and use advanced technology tools such as geographic information systems, facial recognition, and software analytics packages. In some cases, they can also offer criminal intelligence functions by employing predictive analytic techniques.
In FY2018, the BJA will give priority consideration for applicants that:
- Describe the relationship between the stated application objectives and the identified precipitous increase in crime(s).
- Describe innovations that integrate technologies with enhanced processes and the promotion of data sharing and analytics between systems and partners.
- Identify the processes to measure the impact of the stated application goals.
- Identify partnerships working collaboratively to address the crime(s) identified in the application and show how the project will be sustained at the end of the federal funding period.