WEAPON & NLETS

WEAPON (West Virginia Automated Police Network)

• Computerized message switching system
• Links state, local, & federal law enforcement agencies in West Virginia
• Exchanges criminal justice information
• Entry point for NLETS and NCIC
• Provides interstate access and critical data on persons/property
• Managed by WV State Police
• Sets security standards, system access, service availability, and system discipline
• Terminal Agency Agreement required for system access for each WEAPON Terminal office
• User Agency Agreement necessary for each Non-Terminal Agency with a Terminal Agency

NLETS (National Law Enforcement Telecommunications System)

• Now called The International Justice and Public Safety Information Sharing Network
• International, virtual, information-sharing network
• Links law enforcement, justice, and public safety agencies
• Exchanges critical data
• Primary goal is to save lives and improve U.S. security
• Link to all states, federal, and international systems
• Utilizes high-speed secure network
• Primary operational site is in Phoenix, Arizona
• Data exchanged includes motor vehicle info, driver data, Canadian "hot file" records, Immigration and Naturalization Services (INS) databases, and state criminal history records

CJIS (Criminal Justice Information Services Division)

• Located at the FBI complex in Clarksburg, WV
• Managed by the FBI
• Consists of six programs:
• Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System (IAFIS)
• Law Enforcement National Data Exchange Program (N-DEx)
• Law Enforcement Online (LEO)
• National Crime Information Center (NCIC)
• Interstate Identification Index (III)
• National Instant Criminal Background Check system (NICS)
• Uniform Crime Reporting Program (UCR)

NCIC (National Crime Information Center)

• Nationwide, computerized information system
• Provides service to all criminal justice agencies
• Goal is to assist the criminal justice community by providing a computerized filing system of timely documented criminal justice information
• Computerized index of documented criminal justice information
• Concerns crimes and criminals of nationwide interest
• Locator file for missing and unidentified persons

WATCH (West Virginia Automated Criminal History)

• Automated WV Criminal History Record Information (CHRI) files
• Managed by the WV State Police, Criminal Identification Bureau (CIB), Criminal Records Section
• Database stores records on subjects arrested in West Virginia
• Requires submission of a fingerprint card upon arrest
• Commonly known as STATE CIB checks

WV GOT (WV Governor's Office of Technology)

• Oversees the Department of Transportation, Division of Motor Vehicles
• Provides WV driver and vehicle information
• Data is obtained through the GOT’s automated computer system

DMV (Division of Motor Vehicles)

• WEAPON terminal located in Kanawha City
• One transaction sent to the DMV terminal is the AM/Administrative Message
• AM is a free text message
• Originating Agency Identifier (ORI) serves as an email address
• Messages can be sent to five destinations, ORIs or State/Regional codes

West Virginia Intelligence Exchange (WVIX)

• Centralized statewide depository and exchange for criminal information and intelligence
• Serves as a link between officers from different agencies or areas
• Designed to share data about individuals/organizations involved in criminal activity
• Wide-ranging background to augment the efficiency and effectiveness of investigations
• Adheres to US Department of Justice Criminal Intelligence Systems Operating Policies, 29 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 23
• Products draw comparisons, make links, and provide crossover information
• Produces investigative leads, develop suspect profiles, and exploit links
• Tasked with facilitating the timely sharing of criminal information and intelligence
• Conforms to the privacy and constitutional rights of individuals
• Participation is open to federal, state, county and local law enforcement or criminal justice agencies
• There are over 250 participating agencies
• Information can be submitted in person, via mail, telephone, facsimile, or by using WVIX’s VPN Internet connect
• WVIX can only collect and maintain criminal intelligence information if there is “reasonable suspicion” that the individual or organization is involved in definable criminal activity or enterprise

National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS Index)

• Mandated by the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act of 1993 (Brady Act)
• Requires Federal Firearms Licensees (FFLs) to request background checks on prospective firearm transferees
• Attorney General required to establish NICS, effective November 30, 1998
• FFLs contact NICS to determine if firearm transfer violates Section 922 (g) or (n) of Title 18, United States Code (U.S.C.), or state law
• A national system that checks records in the NCIC, III, and the NICS Index
• Determines if prospective transferees are disqualified from receiving firearms
• NICS Index contains data from local, state, tribal, and federal agencies
• Data regards persons prohibited from receiving firearms under federal law
• Prohibiting information may not be found in NCIC or III

How NICS Works

• States can implement a state-based NICS program
• Such states serve as a point of contact (POC) between the NICS and the state’s FFLs
• FFLs in POC states contact a state-designated agency for background checks
• FFLs in non-POC states contact the FBI CJIS Division’s NICS Section for background checks
• Partial-POC states process handgun checks while the FBI processes long gun checks
• NICS background checks conduct a name search for matching records in three national databases:
• NCIC (wanted persons and protection orders)
• III (criminal history records)
• NICS Index (prohibited persons as defined in the Gun Control Act of 1968)
• Searches applicable databases of the Department of Homeland Security’s U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on all non-U.S. citizens
• Most NICS checks are determined within seconds or minutes
• Transaction proceeds if the NICS does not match any records in the databases searched
• Transaction is denied if the search yields a valid match to prohibiting information
• NICS Section must reach out to judicial and/or law enforcement agencies for information needed to render a final decision if the search matched to any potentially prohibiting records
• The Brady Act allows three business days for this
• FFL has the option to legally transfer the firearm if the information is not obtained within the three-business-day timeframe
• A deny message indicates the subject matched with a similar name and/or descriptive features located on a criminal history record with prohibitive criteria
• The prohibitive criteria:
• Conviction of a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year
• Under indictment for a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year
• Fugitive from justice
• Unlawful user of or addicted to any controlled substance
• Adjudicated as a mental defective or committed to a mental institution
• Illegally or unlawfully in the United States
• Discharged from the Armed Forces under dishonorable conditions
• Renounced U.S. citizenship
• Subject to a court order restraining harassment, stalking, or threatening an intimate partner or child
• Convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence

Interstate Identification Index (III) Program & National Fingerprint File (NFF) Program

• III Program provides decentralized interstate exchange of criminal history record information (CHRI)
• Functions as part of the FBI’s CJIS Division’s Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System (IAFIS)
• Conducts national criminal history record searches for criminal justice and other purposes
• Any authorized criminal justice agency may access the III
• Each criminal history record is supported by a criminal fingerprint submission
• Arresting agency submits fingerprint images to the State Identification Bureau (SIB) for processing and assignment of a SID Number
• The SIB updates its state file and sends the arrest information to the FBI
• FBI establishes a new record in the III and creates an index of the subject’s descriptors if no prior FBI record is on file
• III automatically sends a message through the NCIC to the participating state’s computer system when the FBI receives an online request for a record supported by a III participating state
• The state responds directly to the requesting agency of Nlets
• The FBI’s CJIS Division responds to requests for records:
• Federal and foreign offenders
• Persons arrested in non-III states
• District of Columbia
• U.S. Territories
• Criminal arrests that III states are unable to support
• Fifty-one State Identification Bureaus are responsible for providing their state’s available criminal records
• Agencies in all states have direct access to III
• NFF Program is a decentralized system
• Replaces the FBI’s record-keeping responsibility for state offenders
• Makes state repositories primarily responsible for record dissemination and maintenance
• An NFF state submits a single fingerprint image for each offender to the FBI to identify the offender at the national level
• State uses arrest fingerprint images and related disposition and expungement documents for subsequent arrests to update its own records
• State repositories become the only sources of state criminal history records for these arrests purposes

QH and QR Messages

• Two basic inquiry messages for III
• QH inquiry message
• QR record request message
• QH inquiry message, also referred to as a name search
• Allows an inquiry using a combination of personal and numeric identifiers
• Name (NAM)
• Sex (SEX)
• Race (RAC)
• Date of Birth (DOB)
• Social Security Number (SOC)
• FBI Number (FBI)
• State identification number (SID)
• QR record request message, referred to as a criminal history record request
• Must always include either the FBI or SID Number of the record’s subject

Purpose Codes

• All III inquiry and record request messages must include the purpose for which the criminal history record information (CHRI) is to be used
• All users are required to provide the reason for the III transaction
• Assists in ensuring that III transactions are run for authorized purposes and that purpose codes are used correctly

Purpose Code A--Administrative File Maintenance

• Used by authorized participating state agencies to retrieve records for internal review
• Responses cannot be disseminated for any other purpose
• Allows a state to review CHRI, want, and sex offender registry notifications in the III for that state

Purpose Code C--Criminal Justice

• Used for official duties in connection with the administration of criminal justice
• Authorized uses of Purpose Code C in relation to criminal justice facility security:
• Vendors or contractors at the criminal justice agency who are not involved with the actual administration of criminal justice at the criminal justice agency
• Volunteers at a criminal justice agency who are not involved with the actual administration of criminal justice at the criminal justice agency
• Confinement facility visitors
• Inmates of a confinement facility
• Inmate mail
• Participants of law enforcement-sponsored firearms training classes held at a public firing range that are handling firearms, and individuals attending firearms training events held at law enforcement facilities
• Used by Governmental Social Service agencies with child protection responsibilities and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children to access FBI criminal history record information under Section 151 of the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006 (Public Law 109-248)

Purpose Code D--Domestic Violence and Stalking

• Used when the III transaction is for use by officials of civil or criminal courts in domestic violence or stalking cases
• Civil courts may be issued ORIs containing a D in the ninth position
• ORIs ending in D are limited to QH and QR transactions for Purpose Code D

Purpose Code F--Weapons-Related Background Checks

• Used by criminal justice agencies for the purposes of:
• Returning firearms to their lawful owners
• Enforcing federal and state laws prohibiting certain persons with criminal records from possessing firearms in circumstances in which firearms have been pawned

Purpose Code J--Criminal Justice Employment

• Used when the III transaction involves employment with a criminal justice agency
• Also used for the screening of employees of other agencies over which the criminal justice agency is required to have management control
• Such screening may include the use of III on friends, relatives, and associates of the employee or applicant, unless restricted or prohibited by state statute, state common law, or local ordinance

Other Uses

• Used for initial background checks of agency personnel
• Noncriminal justice agencies involved with administering criminal justice on behalf of the criminal justice agency
• Vendors or contractors who are involved with the administration of criminal justice for the criminal justice agency
• Volunteers at the criminal justice agency who are involved with the administration of criminal justice for the criminal justice agency

Purpose Code X--Exigent Procedures

• Used when a QH is made during an emergency situation when the health and safety of a specified group may be endangered
• A QR may be used to review the individual's record following a QH
• Fingerprints must accompany all requests for background checks for exigent purposes
• Delayed submission of fingerprints to the FBI must occur within the agreed-upon timeframe
• Purpose Code X must be used by agencies authorized under an approved statute to receive criminal history record information preceding the delayed submission of fingerprints or by law enforcement agencies servicing the record needs of such agencies
• Purpose Code X must be pre-approved before it can be used
• WV does not have a state statute providing authority to use Purpose Code X

Security of III Information

• Authorization to obtain records via III is governed by federal laws and state statutes approved by the U.S. Attorney General, applicable to NCIC users
• Operators shall use the terminal for authorized purposes only
• Copies of III data obtained from terminal devices must be afforded security to prevent unauthorized access or use
• III records shall be maintained in a secure records environment
• Retention of records may be for extended periods only when the III records are key to the integrity/utility of the case files/criminal record files in which they are retained
• Final destruction shall be accomplished in a secure manner to preclude unauthorized access/use when retention is no longer required
• III records should be properly destroyed when the record is no longer current
• A new copy should be required for each subsequent use, as additions or deletions may be made at any time
• III shall not be used to access a record to be reviewed or challenged by the subject of the record
• Record requests for this purpose must be submitted in writing to the FBI CJIS Division or to the state of record
• The CJIS Systems Agency (CSA) shall ensure that all NCIC hot file transactions (both QH/QR) which access NCIC through the state system be maintained on an automated log
• The log must clearly identify the requester and the secondary recipient

Records Provided by the FBI

• The FBI provides records of:
• Federal and foreign offenders
• Persons arrested in U.S. Territories
• Criminal arrests that III participants are unable to provide

Originating Agency Identifier (ORI)

• Most records are placed directly into the NCIC system by an originating agency
• The agency who holds the warrant, missing person report, or theft report; registration information on sex offender, person on supervised release, etc.
• Each agency is assigned an Originating Agency Identifier (ORI) by the FBI CJIS Staff
• Identifies the agency that is the owner of the record that has been placed in NCIC
• 9 characters in length
• The first 2 characters represent the state followed by 7 characters

Logging of III Transactions

• All III transactions must be maintained on an automated log for up to one year
• The automated log must clearly identify the operator of the III transactions as well as the authorized receiving agency
• Terminal Operator’s name
• Requesting Agency’s ORI
• Requesting officer’s name (do not use a Unit Number)
• The terminal agency must be able to identify the individual requester and/or secondary recipient of the data by the unique identifier that is logged

Inquiry of the III File

• Four transactions used to inquire of the III file:
• QH
• QR
• ZR
• QWI
• A QH is used to determine if an individual has a criminal history record in the III
• The III response will provide one of the following:
• Single matching index record
• Multiple matching index records
• No record responses
• The response will include information regarding the identity of the database(s) maintaining the criminal history record information
• A QR is used to obtain a specific criminal history record
• Only the FBI or SID Fields can be used to identify the record being requested
• A QR response will provide the criminal history record for the FBI or SID Number provided
• The response may include portions of the record from the FBI and/or one or more III states
• A ZR is used to determine if a record for a particular FBI or SID Number is available through the III
• The response will advise whether the record is on file
• A QWI performs a check of NCIC person files (QWA) and simultaneously conducts a III QH transaction
• The NCIC and III Systems will return positive and/or negative responses independently
• Queries must be made under the ORI of the inquiring agency, which is not always the WEAPON terminal agency ORI
• The III QH inquiry must contain one of the following combinations:
• Mandatory fields are denoted by a red asterisk on the forms
• Name, Sex, Race, and Date of Birth
• Name, Sex, Race, Date of Birth, and Social Security Number
• Name, Sex, Race, Date of Birth, and Miscellaneous Number
• Name and Social Security Number (SOC)
• Name and MNU (Miscellaneous Number)
• State Identification Number (SID) or Name and State Identification Number (SID)
• FBI or State Identification Number (SID)
• Use of either identifier limits the scope of the search and eliminates multiple record responses

Purpose Codes & Reasons for III Records and State Criminal History Records

• The Privacy Act of 1974 requires the FBI to maintain an audit trail of the purpose of each disclosure of a criminal history record
• Therefore, inquiries and record requests must include the purpose for which the information is to be used
• The purposes for which an agency may use CIB and III and the appropriate codes for use in West Virginia are:
• C - Criminal Justice: Used for official duties in connection with the administration of criminal justice (criminal investigations) and site security
• J - Criminal Justice Employment: Used when the III transaction involves employment with a criminal justice agency or the screening of employees of other agencies, over which the criminal justice agency maintains management control
• F - Weapons-related Check: Used when the III transaction involves weapons-related background checks authorized by the state, for firearms-related permits and explosives permits pursuant to state law, regulation or local ordinance; returning firearms to the lawful owners; and enforcing federal and state law prohibiting certain persons with criminal records from possessing firearms in circumstances in which firearms have been pawned
• D - Domestic Violence And Stalking: Used by civil or criminal courts in domestic violence or stalking cases; ORIs ending in D (those issued to civil courts) are not allowed access to III for any other purpose
• H - Housing: Used when the III inquiry is made under the authority of the Housing Opportunity Extension Act of 1996; limited to the QH inquiry only and no paper trail is given to the housing authority
• X - Exigent Circumstances: Used for the emergency placement of children with surrogate care providers; the social services agency must submit fingerprints to the CIB for processing within 5 business days of using this for III transactions and sealed records are excluded from the response
• The most commonly used PUR nationwide are C, J, F and D

Example Abbreviations

• AR: Arrest
• CO: Corrections
• CT: Court Related
• CI: Criminal Investigation
• DV: Domestic Violence
• DI: Drug Interdiction
• EP: Emergency Child Placement
• EC: Employment w/ CJA
• GI: General Investigation
• GP: Gun Permit
• GR: Gun Release
• JL: Jail
• MI: Misuse
• PP: Probation/Parole
• PH: Public Housing
• RC: Record Completeness
• SS: Site Security
• TS: Traffic Stop
• TR: Training
• UK: Unknown
• VL: Validation

NCIC

• Contains records on people, property, known terrorists, and gangs
• There are six files that are inquiry only
• 22 NCIC files are:
• Article
• Boat
• Foreign Fugitive File
• Gang File
• Gun File
• Identity Theft File
• Image File
• Immigration Violator File
• Interstate Identification Index File
• Known or Appropriately Suspected Terrorist File (KST)
• License Plate File
• Missing Person File
• National Sexual Offender File
• Originating Agency Identifier File
• Protective Interest File
• Protection Order File
• Securities File
• Supervised Release File
• Unidentified Person File
• Vehicle/Boat Part File
• Vehicle File
• Wanted Person File
• Known or Appropriately Suspected Terrorist (KST) file records are entered into NCIC by the Threat Screening Center (TSC)
• For Hit Confirmation on TSC records, the number to all is 1-802-872-6020

NCIC Categories

• Entry: Places a new record into the NCIC system and all NCIC entries must be made using the requesting agency’s ORI
• Modify: Modification of a message adds, corrects, or deletes a portion of data that is part of the NCIC record
• Locate: Places a locate notification to the entering agency indicating that the person or property has been located or apprehended
• Inquiry: Inquiries are made into the NCIC files using the minimum data and an inquiry determines if a record has been entered into the NCIC system (NCIC Hit)
• Cancel: Cancels the record from the NCIC file; used when the record that has been entered is based upon a false or fictitious theft report
• Clear: The clear message is to indicate the location of a missing person, apprehension of the wanted person, or recovery of property on file in NCIC has been determined by officials
• NCIC responds in two ways, Positive (NCIC HIT) and Negative (NO RECORD NCIC)

NCIC Wanted Person File

• Agencies that enter Wanted Persons into NCIC may only do so once the following conditions are met:
• A decision to arrest or authorize arrest has been made and
• A decision has been made regarding extradition of the Wanted Person

Inquiry on the Wanted Person Record

• MKE’s (Message Keys) for inquiry:
• QW/ZW limits responses to possible extraditable misdemeanor and felony records regardless of extradition
• QWA returns all felony and misdemeanor records regardless of extradition and this is the recommended standard inquiry, and the default setting on the WEAPON System
• QWE limits the responses to felony and misdemeanor records that are possibly extraditable from the inquiring agencies location
• QWF limits responses to felony records only regardless of extradition
• The Wanted Person File inquiry will also automatically cross-search Foreign Fugitive File, Missing Person File, Violent Gang File, Known or Suspected Terrorist File, Protection Order File, Immigration Violator File, Convicted Sexual Offender Registry, Supervised Release, Identity Theft, and U. S. Secret Service Protective Files
• If vehicle identifiers are used in the inquiry, the Vehicle, Boat, Vehicle/Boat Part, and License plate files are also searched

State Criminal History Record Information (IQ/FQ MKE’s)

• WATCH System provides automated WV criminal history record information on subjects who have been arrested in West Virginia, providing a fingerprint card has been submitted on the individual’s arrest
• There are two types of queries available through the WATCH System:
• Identity Query (Message Key IQ): Searches the automated criminal history record index and determines if the individual has a criminal history record on file through a particular state
• Full Record Query (MKE/FQ) transaction: A SID (or SIR) number is then used to obtain the full state criminal history record through the

Additional Key Points

• When these records are no longer needed by the requesting agency or officer, they must be destroyed by shredding
• When CIBs are performed as part of an NCIC entry on Wanted and Missing Persons records, the record becomes a part of the supporting documentation and must be placed in the agency’s case file
• The forms will mark the required fields with a RED ASTERISK, indicating the required field all formatted screens
• When sending an inquiry out of state, the two-character state code must be placed in front of the SID/SIR number
• The ATN (Attention) field must be filled with the requesting officer’s name, or an identifying number that will be used for at least one year and is associated with the requester and its mandatory Automated III Logging as required by FBI/NCIC
• The NLETS HELP file for State Criminal History Records (CIB’s) may be accessed in the Forms Menu; NLETS Administrative Message, Query HELP File

Explanation of Fields Found on a WV IR Response

• The IQ Query will supply the individual’s State Criminal History record number and include the identifying information entered by the terminal operator
• Review this information to verify that the individual is the same as the person you inquired upon
• Records may contain Sex Offender, Felony Convictions, Domestic Violence Charge(s) and Domestic Violence Conviction information

Explanation of Fields That May Appear on the WV Identity Query Response

• Matched Record: This will supply a SID (State Identification number) or SIR (State Identification Record) number that is unique to each individual
• Bail Bond Enforcer Status/Active: This field provides law enforcement agencies with notification that the subject is what is commonly known as a “bounty hunter” and these individuals must notify the State Police, via fax or letter of the dates they are in the area, the individuals name and the charges against the individual

Other Key Fields

• Concealed Weapon Permit: Notifies law enforcement, and other authorized users that the individual is licensed to carry a concealed weapon; this also provides the expiration date, county of issue, and whether or not the subject is a licensed firearms dealer (LFD), and the status of the license (expired/valid, etc.)
• Sex Offender Registration Information: This field provides the starting and ending dates of registration, as well as the county of registration for the offender
• FIFS – Felony Identification Firearms Sales: This field notifies law enforcement, and other authorized users, if the individual has a felony arrest
• NCIC hits may be received when running Criminal History record requests, the state of West Virginia does not automatically check for wants and warrants through NCIC
• It is noted on the West Virginia CIB Full Record Response (FQ) that “The inquiring agency should run an NCIC check to verify wanted status."

Criminal History Record Information (CHRI)

• Criminal History Record Information (CHRI), sometimes informally referred to as “restricted data”, is a subset of Criminal Justice Information (CJI)
• Due to its sensitive nature controls are required for the access, use and dissemination of CHRI
• Information obtained from the III is considered CHRI and the following files shall also be protected as CHRI:
• Gang File
• Known or Appropriately Suspected Terrorist File
• Convicted Persons on Supervised Release File
• Immigration Violator file
• National Sex Offender Registry file
• Historical Protection Order File of the NCIC
• Identity Theft File
• The remaining NCIC files are considered “hot files”

Purpose Codes and Reasons for State Criminal History and III Records

• The Privacy Act of 1974 requires the FBI to maintain an audit trail of the purpose of each disclosure of a criminal history record
• Therefore, inquiries and record requests must include the purpose for which the information is to be used
• The purposes for which an agency may use CIB and III and the appropriate codes for use in West Virginia are:
• C - Criminal Justice: Used for official duties in connection with the administration of criminal justice (criminal investigations) and site security
• J - Criminal Justice Employment: Used when the III transaction involves employment with a criminal justice agency or the screening of employees of other agencies, over which the criminal justice agency maintains management control
• F - Weapons-related Check: Used when the III transaction involves weapons-related background checks authorized by the state; may be used when returning firearms to the lawful owners; and enforcing federal and state law prohibiting certain persons with criminal records from possessing firearms (officer is on a traffic stop), or in circumstances in which firearms have been pawned
• D - Domestic Violence And Stalking: Used by civil or criminal courts in domestic violence or stalking cases; ORIs ending in D (those issued to civil courts) are not allowed access to III for any other purpose
• H - Housing: Used when the III inquiry is made under the authority of the Housing Opportunity Extension Act of 1996; limited to QH inquiries only and no paper trail is given to the housing authority
• X - Exigent Procedures: Used for the emergency placement of children with surrogate care providers and the social services agency must submit fingerprints to the CIB for processing within 15 business days of using this for III transactions while sealed records are excluded from the response WV recognizes purpose codes, C, J, F, AND D, for state Criminal History record checks

Additional Recommendations

• Place in the Attention field (ATN), following the requesting officer’s name, the reason for the inquiry immediately following the requestor’s name
• CIB – Criminal Identification Bureau
• The CIB, criminal records section, houses criminal history record information, sex offender, and concealed weapon information for West Virginia; Criminal History Record Information (CHRI) is obtained through the automated WATCH system
• There are three types of transactions (AQ, AR, and AM) used to obtain non-automated information from the CIB

AQ-Additional Query

• The AQ is used to obtain aliases, previous employers, additional descriptive information, scars, marks, tattoos, other social security numbers, dates of birth, etc.; These inquiries may be sent to individual law enforcement agencies, in state or out of state, or directly to the CIB
• Mandatory fields for AQ’s are marked with a RED asterisk within the MESSENGER forms

AR – Additional History Response

• The responding agency uses the AR to send the requested additional information to the inquiring agency or to advise the requesting agency that they have no additional information on the individual
• Mandatory fields for AR’S are marked with a RED asterisk within the MESSENGER forms although the "Message Free Text field" on the AR form is a required field (Even if there is no red asterisk.)

AM - Administrative Message

• The AM is used to check the status of the request sent to any agency, possibly inquiring when the agency will respond to the AQ message, or to the status of the request
• The AM message is also a free text message form; The Forms Menu also has AM messages that are used to send messages to the DMV for certified copies of driving license records and the WVBRDCAST messages on missing/wanted persons, and stolen property

Driver’s License and Registration Queries

• WV driver and vehicle information is housed by the Department of Transportation, Division of Motor Vehicles
• There are six automated transactions available through this system:
• DQ (Drivers License Query)
• KQ (Drivers License History Query)
• DNQ (Driver by Name Only Query)
• RQ (Registration Query)
• BQ (Boat Query)
• DQ (Mexican Commercial Drivers License Query)
• WV inquiries may also be run from the Quick Query Bar as well
• A terminal operator should always use the individuals name and date of birth so that NCIC is checked

Vehicle Registration Queries

• Registration Query transactions can be run by License Plate Number or VIN
• Out of state queries must include the LIT/ and LIY/ fields