QUANTICO, VA -- The Office of Special Investigations launched the Air Force Criminal Justice Information Center, or CJIC, April 15, marking the next step toward improving how criminal justice information is reported by the Department of the Air Force.
The ceremony, held at OSI headquarters in Quantico, Virginia, was attended by Lt. Gen. Stephen Davis, the Department of the Air Force Inspector General, Brig. Gen. Amy Bumgarner, OSI’s commander, and representatives from U.S. Air Force Security Forces and the Judge Advocate General Corps.
“Public safety relies on collaboration and information sharing – which is a key element of the CJIC mission,” Davis said. “By aligning these efforts through one unit, we will better ensure accurate and timely reporting of criminal justice information to our local, state, federal and international criminal justice partners.”
CJIC consolidates oversight for indexing efforts from OSI, Security Forces and Judge Advocates, ensuring compliance with federal laws and Department of Defense policy to submit information to multiple national databases.
With the activation of CJIC, Special Agent Julie Lecea was named its first director, who said the unit will not only help inform senior leaders, but also take on the challenging task of translating the military justice system into national criminal information systems.
The establishment of CJIC is the latest change the DAF has made to further prioritize the important mission following the 2017 shooting in Sutherland Springs, Texas, by a former Airman.
Following the tragedy, a 2018 Department of Defense Inspector General review identified failures in how criminal justice information was reported. In the wake of these findings, the DAF initiated several pushes aimed at addressing these issues, including the formation of multiple Indexing Task Forces.
“OSI is incredibly proud to be the home of the CJIC,” Bumgarner said. “And we will ensure we create and maintain a collaborative and supportive relationship that allows CJIC to successfully perform their cardinal mission of ensuring criminal indexing is executed accurately and in a timely manner.”
Looking ahead, CJIC is expected to serve as a model for other branches of the military’s law enforcement and criminal justice agencies, officials said, highlighting the importance of integrated efforts in maintaining national security.
“Our mission is important and the tasks before us are challenging,” Lecea said. “With the support of our senior leaders, working with our partners across the [DAF], and fueled by the incredible talent and passion we have on the Criminal Justice Information Center team, we will get this done.”