NCIC Quality Assurance & Compliance 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Under 28 CFR Part 23, how often must criminal intelligence files be reviewed to determine whether they should be purged?
- Every year
- Every 3 years
- Every 5 years (Correct answer)
- Every 10 years
Correct answer: Every 5 years
28 CFR Part 23 mandates that criminal intelligence files be reviewed at least every five years to assess whether they continue to meet retention standards.
Question 2: An analyst rates a source as 'B-2' on an alphanumeric reliability matrix. What does this typically indicate?
- The source is unreliable and information is improbable
- The source is usually reliable and information is probably true (Correct answer)
- The source is untested and information cannot be judged
- The source is completely reliable and information is confirmed
Correct answer: The source is usually reliable and information is probably true
In the standard intelligence rating matrix, 'B' denotes a usually reliable source and '2' indicates the information is probably true.
Question 3: What is the primary purpose of sanitizing an intelligence product before broader dissemination?
- To ensure the document conforms to formatting standards
- To translate classified terminology into layman's language
- To protect sources, methods, and sensitive investigative techniques from exposure (Correct answer)
- To reduce file size for electronic transmission
Correct answer: To protect sources, methods, and sensitive investigative techniques from exposure
Sanitization removes or obscures identifying details that could expose sources or reveal sensitive methods used in the collection process.
Question 4: Which quality assurance practice best ensures that unverified intelligence does not mislead operational decision-makers?
- Restricting access to intelligence products to senior officials only
- Clearly labeling products with confidence levels and source reliability indicators (Correct answer)
- Requiring all intelligence to be fully verified before any dissemination occurs
- Delegating all dissemination decisions exclusively to legal counsel
Correct answer: Clearly labeling products with confidence levels and source reliability indicators
Confidence levels and reliability indicators give consumers the context needed to properly weigh intelligence before acting on it.
Question 5: In criminal intelligence, 'collateral confirmation' refers to which of the following?
- Surveillance conducted by a secondary investigative unit
- Information from a separate independent source that supports the primary intelligence (Correct answer)
- A supervisor's formal endorsement of an analyst's assessment
- Written authorization from a prosecuting attorney
Correct answer: Information from a separate independent source that supports the primary intelligence
Collateral confirmation is independent corroboration that increases analytical confidence in the accuracy of collected intelligence.
Question 6: When two independent sources provide conflicting intelligence information, quality assurance standards require the analyst to:
- Default to the higher-rated source and discard the conflicting account
- Immediately suspend the investigation until the conflict is resolved
- Document the conflict, note both accounts, and seek additional corroboration (Correct answer)
- Escalate the discrepancy directly to the FBI field office
Correct answer: Document the conflict, note both accounts, and seek additional corroboration
Conflicting information must be documented and disclosed in the intelligence product rather than arbitrarily resolved by the analyst.
Question 7: A criminal intelligence database record is more than five years old with no recent corroboration. Under 28 CFR Part 23 quality standards, the record should most likely be:
- Retained indefinitely as historical reference material
- Evaluated for purging unless current information justifies continued retention (Correct answer)
- Immediately forwarded to federal authorities for review
- Reclassified and transferred to a public law enforcement database
Correct answer: Evaluated for purging unless current information justifies continued retention
28 CFR Part 23's five-year review cycle requires that stale, uncorroborated records be purged unless there is current justification for retention.
NCIC Quality Assurance & Compliance 2
Under 28 CFR Part 23, how often must criminal intelligence files be reviewed to determine whether they should be purged?