Hey Everyone,

As summer is quickly approaching (too quickly for us in the South), our CJIS ACE team is in full fledged Conference Season which, lucky for us, means we get the chance to meet and speak with a lot of you in person.  

Lately, we have been meeting a lot of newly appointed TACs. This has inspired me to share some fun tricks of the trade that can help if you’re new to this position, but are also a fun refresher for the more “seasoned” TACs as well.

*Small Disclaimer: These are not actually “tricks” in a malicious sense, but tips and advice on how to succeed with CJIS in this position. That just doesn’t sound as fun as tricks.

Trick 1: Have a Binder

More specifically, you should have one easy-to-access place where you keep all of your CJIS-required documentation. This can be an electronic folder or a physical binder. When the auditor comes around, you’ll know exactly where to find answers to their questions.

Trick 2: Keep a Secondary Dissemination Log

When your agency gives a criminal history to another agency, you must record it in a secondary dissemination log. The NCIC Operating Manual and the CJIS Security Policy don’t specify how the log must be kept, which means you can keep it either electronically or with a physical copy as long as you know exactly where it is when an auditor requests it.

Trick 3: Know Validations Like the Back of Your Hand

Validations are a huge part of your job as a TAC. You have to validate records one month after entry, and then depending on your state, once annually after that. Our tip for this one is to mark your calendar and set reminders in advance. The best way to make sure you’re doing the validations is to plan for them, and if they’re on your calendar, you’re less likely to forget them.

My favorite thing about these “tricks” is that they all have one thing in common: organization. Whether you are new to being a TAC or if you’ve held the position for a while, the job can be overwhelming at times. What might help with the stress is taking a deep breath and getting yourself organized. Pull out your multicolor gel pens, post-it notes, and any other color-coding necessities and come up with a system that works for you and your agency.

If you want to know more tricks, drop me an email, make sure you are subscribed to the CJIS ACE Newsletter, or give us a call and we can set up a time for us to go over all of the CJIS requirements you have to follow as TAC.

Until next time, take care!

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Brooke Lynn Siracusano