Rules - ORION (TA, TD, TQ, TR & TU)
ORI
All messages are transmitted over Nlets using an Originating Agency Identifier (ORI). There are two general types of ORIs authorized for use on Nlets:
Nlets ORIs
There are four types of Nlets ORIs:
- Generic
- Line
- File
- Nlets Approved 'S'
Each type is described below.
Generic ORIs
Generic ORIs are standard ORIs used to send a message to a selected department or agency. They vary in the first two characters that name the state designation and sometimes the 6th, 7th, and 8th positions.
Reference Codes:
ORI Code Abbreviation:
Code Description:
xx
State code
aaa
County code
bb
Type of agency
d
Open
dd
Assigned by Nlets
Generic ORIs Supported by Nlets:
ORI Code:
ORI Description:
xxLIC0000
Vehicle Registration Agency
xxVIN0000
Vehicle Registration Agency
xxSIR0000
State Identification Bureau
xxOLN0000
State Driver License Bureau
xxBAS0000
State Agency Handling Boats and Snowmobiles
xxBOAT000
State Agency Handling Only Boats
xxSNOW000
State Agency Handling Only Snowmobiles
xxNLETREP
Nlets Representative
xxaaabbcH
ORI assigned to agency authorized to access hazardous material file only
xxaaabbdS
ORI assigned by Nlets
Line ORIs
Line ORIs are used to designate a Principal (State), Federal, Associate or International member.
State two-character codes have been assigned for many years (i.e., NY = New York, IN = Indiana, etc.). Federal 2-character codes are a creation of Nlets to allow the system to uniquely identify each member. Examples of this include FB (FBI/NCIC), TC (Treasury Enforcement Communications System or TECS), DN (Naval Investigative Service), etc.
A complete list of line ORIs follows later in this section. Future line ORIs will be assigned by Nlets Staff as new members are approved by the Board of Directors.
File ORIs
ORIs created by Nlets are used to access or perform some action on the Nlets 'HELP' files, the ORION Directory, or other files supported on Nlets.
Nlets Approved "S" ORIs
When a criminal justice agency performs a service on behalf of a governmental non-criminal justice agency, each agency must have an ORI. In all transactions the ORI of the governmental non-criminal justice agency must be used. If the non-criminal justice agency does not have an FBI assigned ORI and is using Nlets for approved purposes, the Nlets Representative may request that Nlets assign an Nlets ORI. This is the "S" ORI.
Nlets assigned ORIs always end with an ‘S’ and are assigned to governmental and non-governmental agencies that are responsible for public safety, or perform a law enforcement function, but are unable to meet the FBI requirements for a full functioning law enforcement ORI. 'S' ORIs allow access to Nlets resources for a specific purpose identified in statute or regulation. Without the ‘S’ ORI, these agencies would not be able to access Nlets resources directly. Instead, these agencies would have to work with other law enforcement agencies with Nlets access to complete their mission. This would make it difficult to know the true source and purpose of queries for audits.
If any agency contracts with a private firm (as allowed within the FBI CJIS Security Policy), Nlets requires that an agreement signed by a representative from the agency, the private contractor and the Nlets representative. This agreement requires that the agency ensures that Nlets policies and procedures are followed by the private contractor.
Possession of an approved "S" ORI does not give the agency the authorization to make direct queries to the state or Nlets' system. "S" ORI agencies must be routed through their state's switch, allowing the agency to make their own queries. A review of supporting legal justification for appropriateness happens prior to an "S" ORI being issued. States with legal requirements may block "S" ORIs from touching their state network or systems; there are several states that block "S" ORIs.
"S" ORIs must have a C, F, V, or M as the 8th character of the ORI with the 9th character being "S".
Character
Classification
C
Child Protective Services
F
Fire Services
V
Motor Vehicle Services
M
Miscellaneous (for example, Hazardous Materials File)
NCIC ORIs
NCIC ORIs must be assigned by NCIC and must meet NCIC standards as detailed in the NCIC Operating Manual.
8th Character Routing
Some ORI are routed differently based on the value of the 8th character in the ORI. The following ORIs will be routed to the following state/agency regardless of the 3rd, 4th and 5th characters used:
XXXXXXXFX - FBI
XXXXXXXJX - Department of Justice
XXXXXXXSX - State
XXXXXXXTX - Customs
Examples:
AZ00000J1 would be routed to Arizona because the ORI has no Fed code in the 3rd, 4th and 5th positions
AZDOJ0000 would route to the Department of Justice because of the value in the 3rd, 4th and 5th positions
AZDOJ00T1 would be routed to Customs and Border Patrol because the "T" in the 8th position would overwrite "DOJ" in the 3rd, 4th and 5th positions.
Rules for Using ORIs
The following rules apply when using ORIs:
- Sending ORI must be a nine-character code.
- Destination ORI may be a 2 or 9 character code.
- Characters must be capitalized.
- Some formatted inquiries may be sent to a maximum of five ORIs. Consult the section on the specific inquiry for restrictions.
- Most formatted inquiries may not be sent APB.
- If a two-character ORI is used, Nlets always directs the message to a control terminal.
- Nlets uses the entire nine characters for routing purposes.
- The 3rd, 4th, and 5th characters identify the county or, for Federal ORIs, the agency. Nlets uses these three characters for special routing to Federal systems on Nlets. Nlets uses the 8th character of the ORI to route messages to Federal agencies that have acquired terminals on State or other Federal networks and are accessing Nlets through these networks.
The two character line codes are listed below with the member they identify.
Description
Code
Air Force OSI
AI
Alabama
AL
Alaska
AK
Alberta, Canada (AB)
AB
American Samoa
AM
Arizona
AZ
Arkansas
AR
ATF National Tracing Center
AT
British Columbia, Canada
BC
California
CA
Canada
CN
Coast Guard
CG
Colorado
CO
Connecticut
CT
Delaware
DE
Department of Interior
DI
Department of State
DS
Department of State (diplomatic plates only)
US
Department of Justice
DJ
District of Columbia (MPD only)
DC
El Paso Intelligence Center
EP
FBI/NCIC
FB
FBI/Identification
FI
Florida
FL
FMCSA
FM
Georgia
GA
Government Services Administration
GS
Guam
GM
Hawaii
HI
Idaho
ID
IFTA
FT
Illinois
IL
INS's Law Enforcement Support Center
AX
International Fuel Tax System
FT
Interpol
IP
Iowa
IA
Kansas
KS
Kentucky
KY
License Plate Reader (Customs & NVS)
LP
Louisiana
LA
LoJack
LJ
Maine
ME
Manitoba, Canada
MB
Maryland
MD
Massachusetts
MA
Mexico
MX
Michigan
MI
Minnesota
MN
Mississippi
MS
Missouri
MO
Montana
MT
National Insurance Crime Bureau
NA
National Drug Pointer Index System
DX
Naval Investigative Service
DN
Nebraska
NB
Nevada
NV
New York
NY
New Brunswick, Canada
NK
New Mexico
NM
New Jersey
NJ
New Hampshire
NH
Newfoundland, Canada
NF
Nlets Headquarters
NX
Nlets Control Center
NL
North Dakota
ND
North Carolina
NC
Northwest Territory, Canada
NT
Nova Scotia, Canada
NS
Nunavut, Canada
NU
NVS
VS
Ohio
OH
Oklahoma
OK
Ontario, Canada
ON
Oregon
OR
ORION Data Base
OD
ORION Foreign File
FN
Pennsylvania
PA
Postal Inspection Service
PS
Prince Edward Island, Canada
PE
Puerto Rico
PR
Quebec, Canada
PQ
Rhode Island
RI
Saskatchewan, Canada
SN
Secret Service
SS
South Dakota
SD
South Carolina
SC
TECS/FAA File
FA
TECS, U.S. Customs
TC
Tennessee
TN
Texas
TX
TML-CDLIS
CL
U.S. Marshals' Service
MR
Utah
UT
Vermont
VT
Virgin Islands
VI
Virginia
VA
Washington
WA
West Virginia
WV
Wisconsin
WI
Wyoming
WY
Yukon Territory
YT
To send a broadcast message to all stations under any of the Federal agencies listed above, address the message to the accompanying two character line code (i.e., for a message to the FBI/NCIC use 'FB').
Assignment of Nlets Approved ORIs
- Any agency wishing to access Nlets must first apply through their state's NCIC CTO for an ORI from NCIC unless NCIC has specifically prohibited such agencies from obtaining an ORI.
- Assignment of an ORI by NCIC, coupled with approval by the Nlets Board of Directors, will allow an agency access to Nlets.
- If the agency is rejected by or otherwise is unacceptable to NCIC, the Nlets representative may submit a request for authorization to access Nlets. The agency may NOT access criminal history information.
- The Nlets Board of Directors will determine whether the agency meets access criteria.
- If they are approved, the Nlets member agency providing access to the new ORI must assure that the new ORI is added to ORION and must include, in the remarks field, a description of the function and responsibility.
- The structure of the ORI must conform to current NCIC structure. In addition the ORI must have either an "S" or an "H" in the 9th position and the 8th position will be assigned by Nlets.
ORI Validation and Certification
The objective of this enhancement to validate ORIs (addresses) through Nlets is to assure that:
- Only authorized users are using the network.
- Authorized users are using the network for authorized purposes.
Four subsections follow:
-
Scope of Edit: This section describes those message types that will be validated. Those that are not validated are generated by computers and there is little to be gained by validation.
-
Update Procedures: This section defines the criteria for entry, modification and canceling of records onto ORION and onto the validation table.
-
Validation Processing: The third section describes the method of comparison used to accept or reject ORIs accessing the network.
-
Certification Procedures: The fourth describes the requirement that must be followed by the user to assure that the ORION (and thus the authorization table) is kept up to date.
Scope of Edit
Not every ORI that passes through Nlets will be validated. For example, responses resulting from vehicle registration inquiries will not be validated since the destination (originally the inquirer) was validated in the inquiry and the sender (the DMV) is a computer.
ORION Update Procedures
The following procedures dictate how the ORION file will be maintained to assure its accuracy.
Entry
Only Nlets and NCIC approved ORIs may be entered on ORION. Editing for sending messages will also apply for file entry onto ORION. For example, Arizona may not enter an Illinois ORI.
Only terminals authorized by the member CTO may add entries to ORION. The "add/cancel" authorization flag will be manipulated only by the Nlets System Agency (NSA) ORI.
After an ORI is created, they will be checked against the NCIC's ZO file to determine whether they are on NCIC. If not, they must have been approved by the Board of Directors.
Modification
It is the responsibility of the CTO to control who may modify records that are owned by that member.
The exceptions are the "criminal history access" flag, the "add/cancel" flag and the "active/inactive" flag. Only the NSA may modify these flags.
Validation Processing
Every ORI that passes through the Nlets system must meet one of the following criteria:
- If it is a law enforcement ORI the first seven characters must match the first seven characters of an entry on ORION.
- If it is an Nlets authorized ORI, it must meet Nlets ORI criteria.
- If it is a criminal justice ORI it must match a nine-character entry on ORION.
- Generic ORIs will be edited according to current Nlets definition.
- There will also be editing based on the message type. Only ORIs flagged as authorized to access criminal record information will be allowed to send/receive IQ/IR, FQ/FR, AQ/AR and other message types reserved for law enforcement use only.
Certification Procedures
It is the responsibility of the Nlets representative to assure that all ORION entries owned by that user (state, federal, and/or associate) have been certified as up to date and accurate at least every two years. These dates will coincide with NCIC's validation of their ZO file.
Every two years a printed listing or other form of storage media containing all ORIs will be mailed to the Nlets representative. The CTO will certify that all records are valid, accurate, and up to date. The CTO will sign a certification document attesting to the validity of each record owned by the member.
Nlets Staff will cause the certification date in each record to be updated to reflect the successful completion of the certification procedure. Users will have 90 days to certify their ORIs.
Following the 90-day certification period, Nlets will notify the members, return receipt requested, that their ORIs have not been certified and their ORIs will be deactivated in 30 days unless certified. If, after thirty days from the time the member has received the second notice, the ORIs have still not been certified, they will be deactivated.