Agencies agree to share law enforcement records

WILMINGTON - Representatives of about 20 local, state and federal law enforcement agencies in southeastern North Carolina met Tuesday and signed a memorandum of understanding that they will share records.

New Bern and Craven County were represented at the signing aboard the USS North Carolina.

The signatures establish the North Carolina LinX: the Law Enforcement Information Exchange, managed by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service.

Ed Buice, public affairs officer for NCIS at Camp Lejeune, said the sharing of intelligence is needed.

"The 9-11 Commission Report noted that poor information sharing among law enforcement agencies was one of the largest failures of government leading up to the 9-11 terrorist attacks," he said. "LinX addresses that problem and improves the sharing of information by area law enforcement, resulting in improved public safety and an increased quality of life for the entire region."

He said criminals routinely cross state and local boundaries. "That movement has typically hampered law enforcement agencies, which have struggled to use each other's information to reduce crime. With LinX, police now have a 21st-century information-sharing tool to identify suspects, improve public safety and support homeland security," Buice said.

Doug Scott, police chief in Arlington, Va., said his department has referred to LinX as "the single most significant crime-fighting advancement that police officers can use every day, since the advancement of DNA."

The system will be managed by the NCIS, which has offices at Cherry Point and Camp Lejeune.

LinX initiatives are already in place in eight other states - Texas, Washington, Virginia, Maryland, New Mexico, Hawaii, Florida, Georgia and the District of Columbia. Another LinX project is being developed in California.