CJIS Background Investigation Standards 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Under CJIS Security Policy, which personnel are required to undergo a fingerprint-based background check before being granted unescorted access to a Criminal Justice Information (CJI) area?
- Only sworn law enforcement officers
- All personnel, including contractors and vendors, with unescorted physical access to CJI (Correct answer)
- Only employees hired after January 2015
- Only employees who handle federal records
Correct answer: All personnel, including contractors and vendors, with unescorted physical access to CJI
CJIS policy requires fingerprint-based background checks for all personnel — employees, contractors, and vendors — who have unescorted physical or logical access to CJI.
Question 2: What is the maximum period a Noncriminal Justice Agency (NCJA) may grant temporary access to CJI for a new employee awaiting fingerprint results?
- 30 days (Correct answer)
- 60 days
- 90 days
- 180 days
Correct answer: 30 days
CJIS policy allows NCJAs to grant temporary CJI access for up to 30 days while awaiting fingerprint-based background check results, provided the employee is escorted or supervised.
Question 3: Which agency is responsible for maintaining the national repository of criminal history records used in CJIS background investigations?
- Department of Homeland Security
- FBI CJIS Division (Correct answer)
- Office of Personnel Management
- Secret Service
Correct answer: FBI CJIS Division
The FBI CJIS Division maintains the Interstate Identification Index (III) and the national fingerprint/criminal history repository used for background checks.
Question 4: An agency hires a contractor to maintain servers in a room containing unencrypted CJI. The contractor refuses to submit fingerprints. What should the agency do?
- Allow access since maintenance is not a security role
- Deny unescorted access until fingerprints are submitted and cleared (Correct answer)
- Grant access under a signed confidentiality agreement instead
- Permit access if the contractor holds a vendor certification
Correct answer: Deny unescorted access until fingerprints are submitted and cleared
CJIS mandates fingerprint-based background checks for unescorted access; a refusal to submit fingerprints means unescorted access must be denied regardless of role.
Question 5: How does the CJIS Security Policy define 'Personnel Security' in the context of background investigations?
- Physical protection of the building where CJI is stored
- Ensuring individuals with access to CJI are suitable through screening and ongoing management (Correct answer)
- Encrypting all CJI transmitted between agencies
- Auditing user activity logs quarterly
Correct answer: Ensuring individuals with access to CJI are suitable through screening and ongoing management
Personnel Security under CJIS encompasses screening, background checks, and ongoing management of individuals to ensure their suitability for CJI access.
Question 6: A state agency discovers that an employee's subsequent background check reveals a felony conviction that occurred after hiring. Under CJIS policy, what is the required action?
- Issue a written warning and allow continued access
- Immediately revoke CJI access and notify the appropriate authority (Correct answer)
- Place the employee on probation for 90 days before deciding
- Transfer the employee to a non-CJI role without revoking access first
Correct answer: Immediately revoke CJI access and notify the appropriate authority
CJIS policy requires immediate revocation of CJI access upon discovery of disqualifying criminal history and notification to the appropriate authority.
Question 7: What type of background check does the CJIS Security Policy specifically require — as opposed to a name-based check — to verify an individual's identity and criminal history?
- Credit check
- Fingerprint-based check (Correct answer)
- Social media screening
- Tax record review
Correct answer: Fingerprint-based check
CJIS policy specifically mandates a fingerprint-based background check because it provides a positive identity match against the national criminal history repository, unlike name-based checks.
CJIS Background Investigation Standards 2
Under CJIS Security Policy, which personnel are required to undergo a fingerprint-based background check before being granted unescorted access to a Criminal Justice Information (CJI) area?