Information sharing does not occur in a vacuum. There are policy, legislative, political, and environmental concerns to be addressed, in addition to the underlying technology which makes it possible. By understanding these issues, one is better prepared to navigate the hurdles that are faced by those working to share information, but are not always empowered to do so.
Featured Resources
National Partners - This section highlights organizations that contribute to information sharing initiatives through technology development, policy making, standards promotion, and many other areas.
Funding Sources and Programs - Here you will find government units and private organizations that provide funding to enable information sharing initiatives.
Navigate to other important Policy & Practice resources using the links at the left.
Information represents the ability to do one’s job more effectively, and in the justice environment it can mean the difference between life and death. However, it can also be a danger, risk, or liability if not properly managed and safeguarded. Adequate security controls must be in place, as well as privacy policies that describe the handling of sensitive or classified data. When handling certain kinds of data, such as intelligence data, additional safeguards must be followed to ensure that information doesn’t fall into the wrong hands.
Technology projects are expensive and introduce a good deal of risk when not managed or supported properly. Funding must be identified; project leaders and strategic champions are needed to drive home the importance of success; maintenance and upkeep must be accounted for from the beginning; legislative mandates and policy constraints all must be taken into account for an information sharing project to be successful. By examining these policy concerns in detail, this section of the site will attempt to communicate the importance of these factors, while providing best practice examples of successful projects and how they have navigated the same hurdles.
For many the imperative to share information is a given, but how precisely to move forward is a much more difficult question. Through examination of policy and practice, the path forward should become a bit clearer.