All of the following describe the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) EXCEPT:

• A. It contains textual records only
• B. It is a nationwide computerized information system established as a service to all criminal justice agencies local, state, and federal
• C. It helps criminal justice professionals apprehend fugitives, locate missing persons, recover stolen property, and identify terrorists
• D. It is an electronic clearinghouse of crime data consisting of 21 files

Answer: (A)

NCIC is a nationwide computerized information system designed to serve criminal justice agencies at local, state, and federal levels. It acts as an electronic clearinghouse of crime data organized into 21 files, helping professionals locate fugitives, missing persons, recover stolen property, and identify terrorists. The important point is that it isn’t limited to textual records alone; the system stores a variety of data types—text fields, numeric identifiers, case numbers, descriptors, and coded information—across its many files. This combination of broad data and centralized, searchable access is what makes NCIC a powerful nationwide tool.