textfiles/law/fbiaug06.law

August 1990                                                       

                                                                  
                        FOCUS ON NCIC:
                 IDENTIFYING THE UNIDENTIFIED                        
                          
                                        
     "Hunters find the torso of a white male in a 
     field.  A close examination of the body reveals 
     that the victim has been shot.  His head and 
     hands, which were severed from the body, cannot 
     be located.  The only identifying mark is a tattoo 
     of a woman's name on the victim's chest."

     "A major city police department receives a report 
     that a young female with mental problems is missing.  
     Several days later, in another jurisdiction, a 
     young female commits suicide by jumping in front 
     of a commuter train."                             

     In both instances, subsequent investigations failed to 
provide any leads.  Neither victim had any identification, and
there were no missing person reports in either jurisdiction in
which the bodies were found that corresponded with the physical
descriptions of the decedents.  This prompted law enforcement
officers to enter all information available on both victims into
the FBI's National Crime Information Center (NCIC).

THE NATIONAL CRIME INFORMATION CENTER                             

     Since 1983, NCIC has provided computerized assistance in 
matching unidentified persons and bodies with missing persons.  
The key to successful use of the system is the prompt entry of 
records into NCIC's Unidentified Person File and its Missing 
Person File.                                                      

     Each night, using the NCIC computer, FBI personnel conduct a 
cross search of descriptive information in the Missing Person 
File with the physical descriptors, dental characteristics, and 
personal accessories of unidentified deceased individuals or 
unidentified living persons, such as amnesiacs.  This cross 
search provides a list of likely matches between records in the 
Missing Person File and those in the Unidentified Person File.    

     In each of the opening situations described, NCIC matched 
the unidentified bodies with persons who had been reported 
missing because user agencies entered all available information 
into the system.  Yet, while these files are a valuable asset to 
the law enforcement community, many officers are unaware of the 
availability of the files and are unsure when to enter 
unidentified person or missing person records into NCIC.     

Unidentified Person File                                          

     The Unidentified Person File provides substantial latitude 
for entering records.  Information should be entered into NCIC on 
any unidentified deceased person or on body parts when a body has 
been dismembered.  In addition, information can be entered on 
living persons of any age who are unable to ascertain their 
identities, for example, an amnesia victim or an infant.    

Missing Person File                                               

     The Missing Person File also provides a number of categories 
for entry.  Law enforcement officers generally think of this file 
in terms of missing juveniles.  However, there are additional 
categories that allow a police department to enter a person of 
any age who is missing and under proven physical or mental 
disability, or who is senile.  The file also allows officers to 
enter information on persons of any age who are missing under 
circumstances indicating that their physical safety may be in 
danger or where their disappearance may not have been voluntary.  

     Also, either file can be used in case of a catastrophe.  
Specific entry criteria allow law enforcement to enter a record 
concerning a person of any age who is missing after a catastrophe 
and to enter information concerning the physical description of 
any unidentified catastrophe victims.                         

Entering Information                                              

     Every law enforcement agency in the United States can enter 
records in both the Missing Person and the Unidentified Person 
Files.  However, the information entered must be complete and 
accurate.                                                         

     Most inquiries of the Missing Person File involve living 
persons, and consequently, ask for standard information, such as 
name, date of birth, and Social Security Number.  Unidentified 
persons, bodies, and body parts require more complex 
information.  As a result, both files allow for entry of such 
information as blood type, corrective vision prescriptions, 
scars, marks and tattoos, and dental characteristics.  
Descriptive information on jewelry and clothing can also play a 
vital part in the identification process.                      

Cross Searches                                                    

     The automatic cross search process uses artificial 
intelligence to make comparisons between the Missing Person and 
Unidentified Person Files.  Every factor entered into the record 
is considered when seeking a match between the two files.         

     The computer initially considers such obvious factors as sex 
and race to limit the number of possible candidates for a match.  
As the computer comparison progresses, the computer considers and 
weighs each area, establishing a score to select the most likely 
records for review by investigators.                              

     For example, in the first scenario detailed, the victim's 
head and hands had been severed to hinder identification.  When 
the agency entered the missing person information, it included 
the unusual tattoo with the woman's name in the record.  Because 
the tattoo had been entered, the computer established a high 
probability of a match.  Without this information, the match 
would not have been made.                                         

     Each unidentified person case is unique.  And while the 
single most effective method of identification through a cross 
search between both files is the use of dental characteristics, 
this information is frequently unavailable.  Therefore, police 
should enter as much information as can be obtained.  Effective 
computer matches have been made using combinations of information 
that, taken individually, are not unique.  However, when 
combined, the information creates a unique profile that leads to 
an identification.                                                

     Newly obtained information should also be added to either 
file.  Each time that a missing person or unidentified person 
record is modified with additional information, a fresh cross 
search is made.  Entering additional information is particularly 
important in the Missing Person File, since some information may 
not be available at the time the report is taken.  This could 
include blood type, dental information, and corrective vision 
prescriptions.                                                    

     Once the cross search comparison is completed, the agencies 
that entered the missing person record and the unidentified 
person record each receive a complete listing of match 
possibilities.  The number of possible matches varies according 
to the amount of information placed in each file.  More complete 
information provides more opportunities for high quality matches 
and subsequent positive identifications.                    

CONCLUSION                                                        

     Through the FBI's Missing Person File and Unidentified 
Person File, police have help to identify the unidentified.  
Every State, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the 
Virgin Islands have the capability to access each file.  In 
addition, the manager of each State's criminal justice 
information system can answer any questions concerning these 
files.  Or, users can obtain assistance from NCIC User Services 
at 202-FBI-NCIC.