The NCIC index includes databases on wanted persons, stolen property, criminal histories, and other information compiled during the investigation of crimes. In addition, the data bank contains locator-type files on missing and unidentified persons. NCIC 2000 offers a variety of enhancements within a number of existing files; for example, the legacy NCIC permitted the entry of only stolen or recovered guns; NCIC 2000 goes a step further by allowing users to enter missing but not necessarily stolen firearms. NCIC also expands the information contained in missing person records by allowing users to indicate whether a stranger abducted an individual, a noncustodial parent took a child, or a person ran away. The new system also captures and stores information on the theft of hazardous materials and provides users with the convenience of retrieving specific types of information online rather than in hard-copy format. New capabilities of the NCIC include the addition of image processing (mugshots, signatures, and identifying marks); automated single-finger fingerprint matching; and information linking, which provides the ability to associate logically related records across NCIC files for the same criminal or the same crime. Areas in the new system that require additional attention are also identified in this article. 6 notes