Just thought I would post it as a little FYI


Greetings,

The NICS E-Check Transfer Process is now operational!  Implemented on September 21, 2004, the new process gives NICS E-Check users the same benefits as those who use the FBI NICS call centers.  This means your chances of receiving a final determination immediately after submitting a NICS E-Check has increased greatly.  For example, during the first week of operation, an immediate determination of final status was reached 92.13 percent of the time.  By comparison, you only received an immediate determination of final status 79.12 percent of the time prior to the implementation of the NICS E-Check Transfer Process.

While we can not control the speed of your computer equipment or the quality of your internet service provider, the FBI NICS Section has done (and will continue to do) everything we can to process your transactions in the shortest amount of time possible.

Here is how it works:

1. A NICS E-Check user submits a transaction using the FBI NICS E-Check.

2. If there are no “hits” (a hit is a possible match to a subject in a criminal database) to any criminal history information, then you will receive a notification via the NICS E-Check of a “NEW” status which, in this case, will be a “Proceed” as you would see after clicking the “NEW” button.  This is the same way the NICS E-Check previously worked.

3. If there is a “hit”, this is where the new process begins.  On the NICS E-Check retrieval screen, you will see a new status called “Researching.”  This status lets you know that an FBI NICS Section representative is reviewing the transaction to determine if the “hit” is a valid match by name and descriptors while you wait.  This process could take up to five minutes; however, the average processing time is around 90 seconds.

4. If further research is needed or five minutes has elapsed, the status will change to “Delay.”  Delays could take up to three business days to complete just as before.  If the FBI NICS Section representative determines a final status, then you will receive a notification via the NICS E-Check of a “NEW” status which after clicking the new button could either be a “Proceed” or “Denied” response.  Please note that you will have to click the refresh button periodically to see if the status has changed.

Now that the NICS E-Check processes transactions on an equal basis with the FBI NICS call centers, we hope that you will reap the benefits associated with using the NICS E-Check.  Those benefits include:  the ability to print the final status; quick and accurate method of doing status checks as often as you like without using the telephone; better access to the NICS for our customers with speech or hearing impairments; ability to retrieve transactions 24 hours per day 7 days per week; ability to process transactions using the Spanish web pages; and the ability to review the transaction history for 90 days on all transactions not subject to the current purge regulations.

We appreciate your business and encourage your suggestions. Please e-mail us at [email protected] and as always, thank you for using the NICS E-Check.