The criteria were designed to limit the quantity and improve the quality of criminal justice information. The availability of a set of criteria is also intended to increase the effectiveness of project management decisions at test sites and to suggest an appropriate course of action when test site problems are analyzed and solutions are attempted. The criteria are grouped into three areas: data capture, system management and control, and data utilization. Each criterion is presented in detail, together with recommendations of possible courses of action and notes which give further explanation or provide a cross-reference to other criteria. The data capture criteria cover the complaint-dispatch form, the crime reporting form, report numbers for each type of crime, the need to capture all SCRS data elements, and the use of geographical coding. Other criteria cover the identification of the reporting officer, the need for a manual on writing reports, and the need for formal training and orientation for individuals who complete crime reports. In the area of system management and control, criteria cover the simplification of paper flow, the report review function, system audits, criteria for the retention and purging of written records, privacy and security, forms control, training for report processing, and files for the storage and retrieval of reports. Criteria for data utilization relate to control policies for output reports; local, State, and Federal reporting requirements; and training for users of crime data. Thirty references are listed.