[1] It is maintained by the Criminal Justice Information Services Division (CJIS) of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and is interlinked with federal, tribal, state, and local agencies and offices.

[2][3] The NCIC database was created in 1967 under FBI director J. Edgar Hoover.

A 1993 GAO estimate concluded that in addition to the costs of the upgrades, the FBI would need to spend an additional $2 billion to update its computer system to allow all users workstation access.

[5] The NCIC makes available a variety of records to be used for law enforcement and security purposes.

[6] Person files:[6] Property files:[6] There have also been issues and concerns regarding arrests and seizures pursuant to mistaken beliefs in the existence of warrants and warrantless probable cause based on inaccurate NCIC information.