Rhode Island receives over $1M federal grant for criminal record system upgrades

More than $1.1 million is headed to Rhode Island to help the state’s public safety agency modernize its criminal history record systems — the largest award the state has received through a federal crime statistics grant program in at least eight years.

Federal and state officials jointly announced Thursday that the Rhode Island Department of Public Safety has received a $1,121,422 award from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) through its Bureau of Justice Statistics’ National Criminal History Improvement Program (NCHIP).

The NCHIP program started in 1995 assists states in working with the FBI to improve accuracy as well as interstate availability of criminal records, including arrest and court records related information such as protection orders, sex-offender registries, charging and sentencing decisions, correctional supervision and firearm and licensing background checks and other employment screenings.

“Maintaining accurate criminal history records requires ongoing coordination among our state and local criminal justice partners,” First Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles C. Calenda said in a statement Thursday. “This funding will support those collaborative efforts and help ensure information used throughout Rhode Island’s criminal justice system remains reliable, complete, and current.”

State law enforcement agencies plan to use the award to replace outdated Livescan fingerprinting equipment, reduce backlogs of criminal history records and improve reporting to state and federal databases, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

The Bureau of Justice Statistics’ website shows that the new award exceeds every grant Rhode Island has received through the same program since at least 2018. The fiscal 2025 grant is about 68% larger than the 2024 award of $667,596 and roughly 26% above the previous high during that period, an $887,174 award in 2021.

State Police Col. Darnell S. Weaver, who directs the Department of Public Safety, said in a statement that the grant will allow Rhode Island’s law enforcement agencies to “update our technology, strengthen the integrity of our criminal history records, and ensure compliance with the FBI’s Next Generation Identification standards,” the latter of which helps to build the federal agency’s massive nationwide biometric database.

“These investments will help us make better-informed decisions while improving service to the public,” Weaver wrote.

The Rhode Island Law Enforcement Telecommunications System, or RILETS, which connects criminal justice agencies with shared law enforcement information, is also expected to see some security and reliability upgrades from the grant money.

According to the federal funding notice, the funding opportunity opened in January this year and closed March 3. The DOJ expected to disburse up to $135 million nationwide via an approximate 56 NCHIP awards. Grants could last up to three years and maxed out at around $2.4 million.