THE ESTABLISHMENT IN 1971 OF THE CCH FILE AS PART OF THE OPERATING NATIONAL CRIME INFORMATION CENTER (NCIC) SYSTEM WAS A MAJOR STEP IN MAKING THE SYSTEM USEFUL TO ALL CRIMINAL JUSTICE AGENCIES. THE NCIC SYSTEM WAS THE FIRST USE OF COMPUTER/COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY TO LINK LOCAL, STATE, AND FEDERAL GOVERNMENTS. NCIC, WHICH ESTABLISHED THE CONTROL TERMINAL CONCEPT, FOCUSED ON COMPLEMENTING STATE AND METROPOLITAN AREA INFORMATION SYSTEMS. THE PROPER DEVELOPMENT OF THE CCH PROGRAM, IN TERMS OF ITS IMPACT ON CRIMINAL JUSTICE EFFICIENCY AND EFFECTIVENESS AND ON DOLLAR COSTS, IS IMPORTANT. HOWEVER, AS OF OCTOBER 1976, THE PROGRAM'S DEVELOPMENT WAS LESS THAN HAD BEEN ANTICIPATED, WITH STATES SHOWING LIMITED PROGRESS IN ESSENTIAL SERVICES SUCH AS IDENTIFICATION, INFORMATION FLOW, COMPUTER SYSTEMS, AND COMPUTER SKILLS. THE BACKGROUND OF NCIC, THE NEED FOR STATE CRIMINAL HISTORY FILES AND FOR COMPATIBILITY BETWEEN STATE AND NATIONAL FILES, AND THE CRITERIA BY WHICH A STATE'S LEVEL OF PARTICIPATION IN THE CCH PROGRAM IS MEASURED ARE DISCUSSED. SECURITY AND CONFIDENTIALITY POLICIES ARE DESCRIBED AT LENGTH RELATIVE TO INFORMATION IN THE FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION NCIC INTERSTATE CRIMINAL HISTORY EXCHANGE SYSTEM. STEPS TO ASSURE ACCURACY OF STORED INFORMATION, REQUIREMENTS FOR ACCESSING CRIMINAL HISTORY DATA, CONTROL OF INFORMATION SYSTEMS, USE OF SYSTEM-DERIVED CRIMINAL HISTORY DATA, RIGHT TO CHALLENGE RECORDS, SECURITY MEASURES, THE SECURITY AND CONFIDENTIALITY COMMITTEE, AND ORGANIZATION AND ADMINISTRATION ARE DETAILED.