QUANTICO, Va. -- The Air Force Criminal Justice Information Center (CJIC), a component of the Air Force Office of Special Investigations, held a two-day Criminal Indexing Workshop starting Oct. 29 which brought together over 60 law enforcement, military and federal experts to share best practices and identify solutions for continued improvement in criminal justice information reporting.
The workshop, held on Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia, aimed to streamline processes across federal and military criminal justice data systems.
The Criminal Indexing Workshop is a CJIC initiative to strengthen public safety by ensuring criminal records are accurately recorded in the multiple database systems used by federal, state, and local law enforcement and decision-makers.
In her opening remarks, Special Agent Julie Lecea, CJIC director, emphasized the Department of the Air Force’s commitment to proactively address deficiencies that led to the establishment of the center.
“This workshop is about having conversations that help close gaps—some of which other services may have already figured out," Lecea said. "We thought it would be best to bring in experts from all of the different communities—not only internal communities within the Department of Defense, but our external stakeholders and partners who are here."
Collaborating across agencies to standardize reporting
The workshop welcomed experts from the FBI, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard to share best practices and explore solutions for improving criminal data management.
“We’re trying to build a system of systems that overlaps,” Lecea said. “We know we can’t rely on just one pathway for records to get to where they need to go.”
Sessions covered topics including mental health adjudications, firearms disposals and reporting standards for national systems like the Combined DNA Index System,
National Instant Criminal Background Check System, and the National Crime Information Center.
Path for Continued Long-Term Improvements
One of the Indexing Workshop’s primary goals was to create enduring capabilities for criminal indexing across the military.
“We’re not just focused on fixing past issues; we’re building sustainable solutions that ensure future readiness,” Lecea said. “We’ve already begun auditing existing records and developing policies that will help our forces operate more effectively.”
One area the CJIC is focused on improving is the process for considering expungement requests and making corrections to records.
“Protecting the rights of individuals who have been engaged in the military justice system is critical to keeping faith with our members and veterans,” Lecea said.
Participants also discussed the importance of consistent policy enforcement and training.
“We need to make sure that records are documented consistently and that our policies align with both military and civilian requirements,” Lecea said. “Training is key to achieving that goal, and this workshop is an important part of that effort.”
Lecea concluded by thanking attendees for their participation and underscoring the importance of collaboration in addressing the complex issues facing the criminal justice system.
“We are all here because we want to make sure our systems work—not just for the Air Force, but for the communities we serve,” she said.