Interstate Identification Index
Also called III · triple-I · national index
Definition
The national index through which criminal history records held by the FBI and by participating states are located and exchanged.
Context
Explains why the summary reflects records contributed by state and local agencies rather than only federal arrests — and why an error may originate with the contributing agency rather than with the FBI.
Government sources
Where this term comes from.
- 28 CFR 20.33 — Dissemination of criminal history record information
Office of the Federal Register (eCFR) · reviewed 2026-08-01
- Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) Division
Federal Bureau of Investigation · reviewed 2026-08-01
fbi.gov rejects automated retrieval; reviewed manually in a browser.
Related terms
- CJIS DivisionThe FBI division that maintains national criminal justice information systems and handles Identity History Summary requests.
- Record challengeThe procedure by which the subject of a record disputes the accuracy or completeness of information appearing on it.
- Contributing agencyThe law enforcement or judicial agency that submitted a particular entry appearing on a criminal history record.