Canadian Police Information Centre
Encyclopedia
The Canadian Police Information Centre (CPIC) is the central police
database
where Canada
's law enforcement agencies can access information on a number of matters. It is Canada's only national law enforcement networking computer system ensuring officers all across the country can access the same information. There are approximately 3 million files generated each year and is the responsibility of the originating agency to ensure the data integrity of each file.
CPIC was approved for use by the Treasury Board of Canada and became operational in 1972. It is maintained by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police
(RCMP) with the central registry located at the RCMP Headquarters in Ottawa
, Canada. CPIC is interfaced with the United States National Crime Information Center
and National Law Enforcement Telecommunications System but not all information are shared. For example, Wandering Persons Registry information is not shared across the border.
In order for a government agency to access CPIC, they must agree to abide by the rules set out in the CPIC Reference Manual and be approved by the CPIC Advisory Committee, composed of 26 senior police officers from municipal and provincial police forces, the Ontario Police Commission
and the RCMP. Non-policing agencies must also enter a memorandum of understanding
with the RCMP and maybe audited from time to time for compliance.
CPIC is broken down into four data banks: Investigative, Identification, Intelligence and Ancillary which contain information on:
Local, municipal and provincial
police services in Canada, as well as federal law enforcement agencies such as the Canada Border Services Agency
and Military Police
maintain their own local records in addition to CPIC records. Local records are maintained of all contact with police for a variety of reasons, and may or may not contain information that would be entered into the CPIC system. All CPIC agencies are subject to audit on a 4 year cycle. All records added to the CPIC system must satisfy stringent entry criteria in that every record must be, valid, accurate, complete in nature and compliant with input rules. The province of British Columbia
is mandated by law that all police forces share a platform, known as PRIME-BC. In Ontario local records are now kept in systems known either as NICHE or Versadex
, depending on the Municipalities choice of implementation. In Quebec the system used is called CRPQ (Centre de Reseignement des Policiers du Québec). The RCMP runs a similar system in provinces where they are providing contract policing.
-based Psychiatric Patient Advocate Office announced it had received numerous complaints from people who were denied entry into the United States, because their names were on the American Department of Homeland Security watchlist
and names were provided by the Canadian Police Information Centre and is available to American law enforcement authorities, according to Wikileaks
.
Police
The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...
database
Database
A database is an organized collection of data for one or more purposes, usually in digital form. The data are typically organized to model relevant aspects of reality , in a way that supports processes requiring this information...
where Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
's law enforcement agencies can access information on a number of matters. It is Canada's only national law enforcement networking computer system ensuring officers all across the country can access the same information. There are approximately 3 million files generated each year and is the responsibility of the originating agency to ensure the data integrity of each file.
CPIC was approved for use by the Treasury Board of Canada and became operational in 1972. It is maintained by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police
Royal Canadian Mounted Police
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police , literally ‘Royal Gendarmerie of Canada’; colloquially known as The Mounties, and internally as ‘The Force’) is the national police force of Canada, and one of the most recognized of its kind in the world. It is unique in the world as a national, federal,...
(RCMP) with the central registry located at the RCMP Headquarters in Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
, Canada. CPIC is interfaced with the United States National Crime Information Center
National Crime Information Center
The National Crime Information Center is the United States' central database for tracking crime-related information. Since 1967, the NCIC has been maintained by the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Criminal Justice Information Services Division, and is interlinked with similar systems that each...
and National Law Enforcement Telecommunications System but not all information are shared. For example, Wandering Persons Registry information is not shared across the border.
In order for a government agency to access CPIC, they must agree to abide by the rules set out in the CPIC Reference Manual and be approved by the CPIC Advisory Committee, composed of 26 senior police officers from municipal and provincial police forces, the Ontario Police Commission
Ontario Police Commission
The Ontario Civilian Police Commission, previously known as the Ontario Police Commission and the Ontario Civilian Commission on Police Services, is the agency responsible for police services in Ontario.See also Special Investigations Unit....
and the RCMP. Non-policing agencies must also enter a memorandum of understanding
Memorandum of understanding
A memorandum of understanding is a document describing a bilateral or multilateral agreement between parties. It expresses a convergence of will between the parties, indicating an intended common line of action. It is often used in cases where parties either do not imply a legal commitment or in...
with the RCMP and maybe audited from time to time for compliance.
CPIC is broken down into four data banks: Investigative, Identification, Intelligence and Ancillary which contain information on:
- Vehicles/marine
- Stolen or abandoned vehicles/boats
- Persons
- Wanted persons
- People who are accused of crime(s)
- People on probationProbationProbation literally means testing of behaviour or abilities. In a legal sense, an offender on probation is ordered to follow certain conditions set forth by the court, often under the supervision of a probation officer...
or paroleParoleParole may have different meanings depending on the field and judiciary system. All of the meanings originated from the French parole . Following its use in late-resurrected Anglo-French chivalric practice, the term became associated with the release of prisoners based on prisoners giving their...
es - Special Interest Police (SIP)
- Judicial orders
- Access to the Offender Management System of Correctional Service of CanadaCorrectional Service of CanadaThe Correctional Service of Canada , or CSC, is the Canadian federal government agency responsible for the incarceration and rehabilitation of convicted criminal offenders sentenced to two years or more...
- Missing personMissing personA missing person is a person who has disappeared for usually unknown reasons.Missing persons' photographs may be posted on bulletin boards, milk cartons, postcards, and websites, along with a phone number to be contacted if a sighting has been made....
s
- Stolen property
- Dental characteristicsForensic DentistryForensic dentistry or forensic odontology is the proper handling, examination and evaluation of dental evidence, which will be then presented in the interest of justice. The evidence that may be derived from teeth, is the age and identification of the person to whom the teeth belong...
- Canadian Firearms Registry of the Canadian Firearms Program
- Wandering Persons Registry
- Alzheimer's diseaseAlzheimer's diseaseAlzheimer's disease also known in medical literature as Alzheimer disease is the most common form of dementia. There is no cure for the disease, which worsens as it progresses, and eventually leads to death...
patients who register with the Alzheimer Society of Canada in case they go missing
- Alzheimer's disease
- CPIC criminal surveillance
- Criminal intelligenceCriminal intelligenceCriminal Intelligence is information compiled, analyzed, and/or disseminated in an effort to anticipate, prevent, or monitor criminal activity....
gathered across the country
- Criminal intelligence
- Criminal Record Synopsis
- Condensed information about a person's criminal record
Local, municipal and provincial
Provinces and territories of Canada
The provinces and territories of Canada combine to make up the world's second-largest country by area. There are ten provinces and three territories...
police services in Canada, as well as federal law enforcement agencies such as the Canada Border Services Agency
Canada Border Services Agency
The Canada Border Services Agency is a federal law enforcement agency that is responsible for border enforcement, immigration enforcement and customs services....
and Military Police
Canadian Forces Military Police
The Canadian Forces Military Police provide military police services to the Canadian Forces.Canadian Military Police are unusual in that they are classified as Peace Officers in the Criminal Code of Canada, which gives them the same powers as civilian law enforcement personnel to enforce Acts of...
maintain their own local records in addition to CPIC records. Local records are maintained of all contact with police for a variety of reasons, and may or may not contain information that would be entered into the CPIC system. All CPIC agencies are subject to audit on a 4 year cycle. All records added to the CPIC system must satisfy stringent entry criteria in that every record must be, valid, accurate, complete in nature and compliant with input rules. The province of British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
is mandated by law that all police forces share a platform, known as PRIME-BC. In Ontario local records are now kept in systems known either as NICHE or Versadex
Versaterm
Versaterm is a Canadian corporation based in Ottawa, Ontario that develops information systems for police agencies.Versaterm was founded in 1977 by principals after spending a number of years building and refining the Canadian Police Information Centre computer system, the Canadian equivalent to...
, depending on the Municipalities choice of implementation. In Quebec the system used is called CRPQ (Centre de Reseignement des Policiers du Québec). The RCMP runs a similar system in provinces where they are providing contract policing.
Wikileaks controversy
In 2011, the TorontoToronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
-based Psychiatric Patient Advocate Office announced it had received numerous complaints from people who were denied entry into the United States, because their names were on the American Department of Homeland Security watchlist
Watchlist
Watchlist or watch list can have several meanings:*Interpol Terrorism Watch List, a 24 hour, 7 days a week command center and a linkage system to identify terrorist financing lists...
and names were provided by the Canadian Police Information Centre and is available to American law enforcement authorities, according to Wikileaks
Wikileaks
WikiLeaks is an international self-described not-for-profit organisation that publishes submissions of private, secret, and classified media from anonymous news sources, news leaks, and whistleblowers. Its website, launched in 2006 under The Sunshine Press organisation, claimed a database of more...
.