Pennsylvania boosts security to Justice Network

[InfoSec News <isn () C4I ORG>]

http://www.civic.com/civic/articles/2000/0626/web-1jnet-06-27-00.asp

BY Daniel Keegan
06/27/2000

Pennsylvania has signed another contract with VeriSign Inc. to provide
additional security to the states Justice Network (JNET), which
compiles public safety information from various agencies and places it
on a secure Internet site.

JNET allows various criminal justice agencies to maintain their
information systems individually. Information is then collected, put
into a uniform format and transferred to a World Wide Web site where
approved people can access the information.

Scott Elliott, spokesperson for the Governors Office of
Administration, said the network is crucial to the criminal justice
system because it allows complete integration of public safety
information.

The five basic information systems included in the network are those
of the state police, Department of Corrections, Department of
Transportation (DOT), Board of Probation and Parole, and
Administrative Office of the Pennsylvania Courts.

"Before, each group would have to re-input information, and it would
be a waste of time and resources," Elliott said. For example, after
someone is arrested, the police officer enters the information into
the system, and then the court administrators have to enter it again
during a trial.

The system now allows more than 200 people to log in using digital
certificates to ensure security and gather all the necessary
information from one source.

The new contract is part of the second phase of the network, which
includes increasing the number of people who can access the site and
adding new capabilities, such as digital mug shots, access to DOT
photo images and drivers license data, and live posting of court
dispositions.

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