Information can be developed for three types of decisions--policy decisions, program decisions, and operations decisions. A base for decisionmaking should include accurate, timely, and specific information which is relevant to the type of decision to be made. Administrative decisions concern mandates and missions, political and jurisdictional disputes, policy development and strategic planning, and resource-finding. Such information needs are best served by formal information summaries, whether these pertain to population projection and spiraling costs, personnel problems and labor disputes, or client and community profiles and trends. Managers and supervisors, on the other hand, may, depending on their roles and responsibilities, need detailed information to perform statistical operations, accounting, costfinding and ratesetting, budgeting, program development, research, monitoring and evaluation, program implementation, and service delivery. The 1976 survey of 549 State and local law enforcement, court, corrections, and prosecution agencies revealed only 167 reports of 'no automated information systems.' The development of Project SEARCH, an information system with a uniform format for criminal histories that can be used by police, courts, and corrections at the local, State, regional, and national levels, is described. Nine references are provided.