By The Star Staff
As a measure to strengthen investigations and combat crime on the island, the Puerto Rico Department of Justice will expand the exchange of criminal justice information with federal authorities through the National Data Exchange (N-DEx) system.
“The exchange of information between jurisdictions is essential for law enforcement, as well as for effective prosecution and crime solving at the local and federal levels,” Justice Secretary Domingo Emanuelli Hernández said in a written statement. “This collaboration benefits both Puerto Rico and the 50 states, because by eliminating jurisdictional gaps it facilitates interaction between investigators and reinforces the investigative process.”
The N-DEx system, which became operational in 2012, is an electronic repository of criminal justice records submitted by agencies across the nation. The mission is to provide an online and accessible tool for law enforcement to share and analyze information across jurisdictions, providing them with investigative leads and helping solve criminal cases.
The platform, managed by the FBI’s Data Sharing Unit, orDSSU, allows investigators to link unique data, located in criminal incident reporting narratives, that can be critical in investigative processes and emergency management. Puerto Rico has access to N-DEx through the Department of Justice’s Office of Systems of Criminal Justice Information.