On May 14, 2004, DOJ joined with the International Association of Chiefs of Police, the Global Justice Information Sharing Initiative (Global) Intelligence Working Group (GIWG), and other local law enforcement organizations to endorse the National Criminal Intelligence Sharing Plan (NCISP).

This plan, developed by the law enforcement community, is an important driver of the LEISP strategy. It clearly articulates the need for a comprehensive national approach to law enforcement information sharing. LEISP is DOJ's contribution to implementing the recommendations detailed in NCISP.

As DOJ participated in the development of the NCISP, it also began to conduct an analysis of internal policies, processes and technology architecture related to law enforcement information exchange. This process identified the following requirements for success:

• A new information sharing paradigm to develop new policies, practices, and capabilities for connectivity among sharing partners.
  
  
• Transforming the current need-to-know culture into a need-to-share culture as standard operating procedure. Enabling a data-to-information-to-intelligence progression that facilitates the ability to share.
  
  
• New services that maximize the value of law enforcement information while routinely sharing that value with partners efficiently and effectively.

DOJ's plan for improved information sharing must begin with a vision, commitments, and principles to guide its implementation. It must delineate policies that create the conditions of trust, security, accountability, and partnership that are necessary to obtain meaningful participation by LEISP partners. It must identify the functional requirements needed for extracting value from information that is shared and point the way to a technology architecture that is acceptable and supportable to the diverse interests within the law enforcement community.