Department of Justice Awards $1.1 Million to Modernize Rhode Island Criminal History Record Systems

PROVIDENCE - The U.S. Department of Justice has awarded $1,121,422 to the Rhode Island Department of Public Safety through the Bureau of Justice Statistics' Fiscal Year 2025 Consolidated National Criminal History Improvement Program.

Rhode Island's criminal justice agencies will use the funding to modernize technology, strengthen criminal history reporting, and improve the quality of criminal history records relied upon by law enforcement agencies, prosecutors, courts, and for firearm background checks.

"Maintaining accurate criminal history records requires ongoing coordination among our state and local criminal justice partners," said First Assistant United States Attorney Charles C. Calenda. "This funding will support those collaborative efforts and help ensure information used throughout Rhode Island's criminal justice system remains reliable, complete, and current."

"A modern and secure criminal records system is essential to protecting public safety and ensuring justice is administered efficiently," said Colonel Darnell S. Weaver, Superintendent of the Rhode Island State Police and Director of the Department of Public Safety. "This funding will allow us to update our technology, strengthen the integrity of our criminal history records, and ensure compliance with the FBI's Next Generation Identification standards. These investments will help us make better-informed decisions while improving service to the public."

Planned initiatives include replacing outdated Livescan fingerprinting equipment, reducing criminal history record backlogs, enhancing the security and reliability of the Rhode Island Law Enforcement Telecommunications System, strengthening reporting to state and federal criminal justice databases, and supporting compliance with FBI Next Generation Identification standards.