ARLINGTON, Virginia -- Air Force Security Forces Defenders uploaded the first case to the new Air Force Justice Information System last week, marking the launch of the most modern criminal data reporting system in the Department of Defense and providing global integrated awareness of criminal activities that affect the security and safety of Air Force personnel and resources.
Learning from decades of high ops tempo and web-based technologies, an Air Force team developed a $5.7 million professional system in less than 10 months that provides Security Forces operations with a progressive criminal data reporting system.
“Deployment of the system will occur in phases and will go live for all Air Force Security Forces units – including Reserve and National Guard -- by October 31,” said Lt. Col. Sandra Thompson, AFJIS project leader. “The rapid launch of this system is unprecedented in the world of IT as the system was developed, tested and deployed in less than a year. Over the next week, Hanscom, Patrick and Andrews Air Force Base subject matter experts will operationally test case management and global blotter modules, providing direct feedback to the AFJIS team and vendor.”
Thompson, with help from Maj. Tom Lowe, Capt. Jon Wallace and a Total Force and contractor team, partnered with Army, AFOSI and the Navy to develop the new system to replace the Security Forces Management Information System, a case management system the Air Force has been using since the 1990s.
In early 2019, Thompson’s criminal data reporting team, in a joint effort with the Navy, modified the Naval Justice Information System to meet Air Force needs. The new system uses Air Force hierarchies, roles, workflows and includes a global blotter module.
Master Sgt. Elizabeth Sadler, who led system development efforts, said AFJIS provides an innovative, agile and centralized capability for all aspects of criminal data reporting, meeting the requirements set forth by the Under Secretary of Defense (Information), DoD Inspector General and federally-mandated instructions.
“This is a monumental step in the modernization of Security Forces criminal data reporting system, providing a centralized hub of criminal data reporting, automatic flagging of federally reporting of offenses, providing installation breech tracking and criminal data reporting trends and analytics that allow for predictive analytics,” Sadler said.
Thompson noted this is just the start.
“AFJIS and the recently stood up Air Force Criminal Justice Information Cell provide a solution for the Air Force’s long-term criminal data reporting requirements,” she said. “The Total Force team will continue to develop and improve the system to include additional capabilities that further enhance the capabilities in our Defender toolkit.”