General Information - Communicating with Canada (WQ/WR, VQ/VR, UQ/UR, XQ/XR, CAQ/CAR, CGQ/CGR, CSQ/CSR, CBQ/CBR, IQ/IR, FQ/FR & AQ/AR)

Communicating with Canada

(WQ/WR, VQ/VR, UQ/UR, XQ/XR, CAQ/CAR, CGQ/CGR, CSQ/CSR, CBQ/CBR, IQ/IR, FQ/FR & AQ/AR)

Nlets supports a computer-to-computer interface to Canada for the purpose of exchanging criminal justice and criminal justice related information. Through this interface, a variety of information is available.

It is important to understand that Canadian information is provided from several sources. The Canadian Police Information Center (CPIC), a system somewhat similar to FBI/NCIC, is providing hot file and Criminal Record information. Vehicle registration and driver’s license status information for the provinces and territories are maintained by the individual Provinces and Territories to be shared through CPIC.

As a part of this interface, users within Canada also will be obtaining information from users in the United States. Since requests from Canada will conform to formats currently in use, states must be able to accept and send to Canadian ORIs.

Policy for Use of Information from Canada

The CPIC has both confidentiality and dissemination policies regarding the use of the information they provide. Within both the CPIC Policy Manual and Memorandum of Cooperation between the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and the FBI it states:

Information is entrusted to the CPIC system for the purpose of communicating and sharing with the law enforcement and criminal justice community. Understanding that personal information is to be provided, received and used only in accordance with domestic and international law applicable to the United States and Canada for criminal justice purposes to facilitate police and public safety by preservation of the peace and protection of the public.

There is a collective responsibility to ensure this information is safeguarded from improper and unauthorized access, use, disclosure and dissemination. All information contributed to or retrieved from the CPIC system and NCIC/III systems is supplied in confidence and should be protected against disclosure to unauthorized agencies or individuals.

Authorized and unauthorized disclosure of the CPIC system’s information, intentional or otherwise, may take many forms including, but not limited to:

verbal communication;
viewing files or records on computer screens and printouts;
reproduced/copied material and information taken from computerized records;
overheard radio transmissions;
improperly stored or disposed material.

Disclosure refers to the intentional or unintentional act of making known any data or information from the CPI Centre system including, but not limited to any investigation, individual or situation, and includes the act of dissemination.

Dissemination refers to the intentional or unintentional disclosure of the CPI Centre information to one or many people. This includes, but not limited to, the disclosure of CPIC system information by one agency to other agencies or organizations.

Canadian privacy laws and CPIC policy require that users of CPIC data establish the accuracy and validity of the CPIC record prior to its use. Any record placed on the CPI Centre system is the subject of a police file maintained by the originator of the record, as long as the record is on CPIC. A Canadian agency will be able to confirm its CPIC records promptly, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Therefore any and all information obtained from CPIC by U.S. law enforcement which is intended for use or to be acted upon, should be confirmed first by contacting the contributing Canadian agency to confirm accuracy and relevancy.

Types of Information Available

The general types of information available fall under the following categories. See the specific sections that follow for further details.

Persons
Vehicles
Drivers’ Licenses
Vehicle Registration
Articles
Guns
Securities
Boats
Criminal History
Administrative (including photos)
ORI Tables
HELP

CPIC Access Permissions by ORI Ending

Persons File (WQ/WR)

Persons File - General

This information is provided by the CPIC file and includes a variety of records, some not normally available from their United States counterpart, FBI/NCIC. Associated records such as vehicles, articles, guns, securities, or boats could be appended to the person record.

Note the following important requirements for Person File transactions with Canada:

Take no official action, and do not send any hit confirmations, on any response from the Canadian PERSON FILE without
obtaining specific instructions from Washington D.C., INTERPOL. This information is
provided for officer safety and is to be used only in conjunction with other information
the inquiring officer may have at his or her disposal at the time of inquiry.

States must not programmatically generate inquiries to the Canadian PERSON FILE
based on routine inquiries to their state wanted persons file, NCIC's wanted person file,
or inquiries on driver's license by name and date of birth.

Persons File - Wanted (WANT)

This refers to a person who is arrestable and/or for whom a warrant or apprehension order has been issued. Persons wanted by Provincial, Canada-wide and extraditable warrants are recorded on this file.

Persons File - Accused (ACCD) – similar to US Charged

This refers to a person against whom legal proceedings have commenced in relation to a criminal code offense or an offense under a Federal statute, who is waiting final disposition, including any appeal, and for whom a warrant to arrest is not in force for that offense.

Persons File - Prohibited (PROHIB)

This refers to a person against whom an Order of Prohibition is in effect with regard to liquor, firearms, vehicle driving (and boat operation), hunting or any other court or statute-imposed prohibition.

Note: Individuals with revoked/suspended licenses will be returned as this type of record by CPIC.

British Columbia however keeps their own status information and therefore on a WQ no
automated status information will be provided for British Columbia licenses. To request information
from the province, send an Administrative Message (AM) to BC with your requested information.

Please note that the AM is not an automated message, so it may take some time to receive a response.

Persons File - Parole (PAROL)

This refers to a person who has been convicted of a criminal offense and has been released on:

Parole
Day Parole
Life Parole
Mandatory Supervision, or
Temporary absence over 24 hours from a federal penitentiary
Electronic monitoring (Canada or Province-wide)

Persons File - Court Action (formerly Probation)

This refers to a person who has been convicted or found guilty of an offense and:

Has been given a suspended sentence, or conditional discharge under section 736 (1) CC, or
Has been released on probation, or
Has been placed on peace bond, recognizance or restraining order, or
Is a young offender who is in "open custody".

Persons File - Refused (REF)

This category has been incorporated into the CPIC file to meet the requirements of the Firearms Legislation of the Criminal Code. It is used to record data on a person who:

Has been refused the issuance of a Firearm Acquisition Certificate (FAC), or
Has been refused the issuance of a Firearm Registration Certificate (FRC), or
Had an FRC revoked.

Persons File - Special Interest to Police (SIP) - similar to US OBS file

This primary category is used to alert law enforcement and public safety partners about past police interventions which may signal, amongst other things, future safety and intervention concerns when dealing with the individual.

SIP is used to record data on a person who is of particular interest for one or more of the following reasons. The individual:

Has a history of violence or attempted violence;
Is involved in or committing criminal offences (in Canada or in a foreign country);
Is a known hostage-taker;
Is in danger of being a victim of family violence;
Is a foreign fugitive for whom there is no authority to arrest in Canada;
Has been released by a Board of Review on a vacated Warrant of Committal with no probation conditions;
Is an applicant for a record suspension from the National Parole Board;
Is the subject of a DNA Order or Authorization (Form 5.03, 5.04, 5.06 or 5.09);
Is overdue on a weekend or day pass from a federal penitentiary and a warrant has not yet been issued by Correctional Service Canada.

Special Interest to Police (SIP) records containing information about an individual that may pose a danger to an officer will be returned to the inquirer. Other types of "observed" records that are kept merely for surveillance purposes will not be provided to the inquirer.

There may be instances where a "silent hit" occurs. This means that the agency that entered the record will be notified that you inquired on his/her record, but you will receive a “no hit” message. In some instances, the agency may contact you in regard to this inquiry.

Persons File - Missing (MISS)

This refers to a person:

Reported missing, or
Who has been admitted/committed to a mental institution or hospital psychiatric ward and has left without permission or formal discharge (designated as an elopee), or
For whom a police agency has undertaken to assist in locating on compassionate grounds. For example, if someone is travelling and their family members are trying to locate them to notify them that a family member passed away, the police might try to locate them on compassionate grounds.

Persons File - Inquiry Field Requirements (WQ)

The standard Nlets message header (XML or Native format) and sender's ORI are required along with the fields listed below.

The destination code must be "CN".

The Persons File inquiry transaction (WQ) must include the following:

Name
Date of Birth
Sex
Reason Code (optional)
Person/Property Code (optional)

The field requirements for an inquiry to Canada are as follows.

XML Entry: Legacy
Entry: Field
Size: Data
Requirements: Translation:

<j:PersonName>
  <j:PersonFullName>
  <j:PersonGivenName>
  <j:PersonMiddleName>
  <j:PersonSurName>
</j:PersonName>

NAM/ Max.
30 Alphabetic
characters

Full name in format;
last name, first name
(space) middle name
or initial (e.g., Tubbs,
Kathleen Dorothy.

<j:PersonBirthDate>

DOB/ 8 Express as
ccyy-mm-dd. Date of Birth

<j:PersonSexCode>

SEX/ 1 M or F M = male, F = female

<n:ReasonCode>

RSN/ 1 Single letter: N,
F, V, T, S or H.

Identify reason code:
N - Narcotics
F - Fraud (includes
counterfeit
documents)
V - Violent crimes
(incl. robbery,
murder, rape,
bombing, etc.)
T - Traffic violations
S - Theft
H - Humanitarian,

<n:SightedIndicator>

PPS/ 1

Must be Y or N
for text. True or
False for XML.

Identify "in-sight"
code. Optional

Persons File - Responses (WR)

The inquirer will receive either a hit or a no record from the CPIC Person File as a result of the inquiry.

All hit confirmation on person (or any other hot file hits from Canada) must go through Interpol prior to taking any action on the record.

Persons File - No Record Response (WR)

This occurs when no matching record was found in the Canadian file.

Persons File - Possible Hit (WR)

If a possible hit has been made on the Canadian Person File, the inquiring agency must contact Interpol to confirm the hit with the entering agency.

There may be some fields in Canadian messages that are unfamiliar to Nlets users.

The Remarks Field (REM) can be used to add additional information by the originating agency. Upon receiving a response from the CPIC system, users should read the Caution and Remarks Fields.

Below is a brief explanation of some of these fields.

Entry Explanation CONFIRM WITH ORIGINATING AGENCY This is a standard portion of the Canadian record. <<< CAUTION >>>

This is a cautionary warning and will be followed
by one of the four codes below. It will appear when
the record subject is considered dangerous to
himself/herself or to other persons. Unlike the
persons record, this code will not be expanded.

ARMED AND DANDEROUS – the subject who have
a history of armed violence or attempted armed violence
should be flagged as armed and dangerous when it is known
or reasonably suspected the individual is in possession of a weapon.
FAMILY VIOLENCE – subject is known to be violent in family situations
or demonstrate a risk of domestic violence.
VIOLENCE - an automatic caution for charges involving violence, robbery, or offensive weapons.
ESCAPE RISK - when any attempted or actual escape, regardless of whether a charge is laid, is reported.
DISEASE – subject is a carrier of a communicable disease.

CC Stands for "criminal code". CONTROL NUMBER Used to record the police agency's control or
warrant number for the subject. DL: A1234-50673-90122 DL identifies the Driver license number of the subject.
The format of the driver’s licence may vary depending on province. POI: ONT

"POI" stands for "province of issue" and the
"ONT" is the province where the license was
issued.

Types of Persons Information Available

Below are the different types of information that are available to United States users from the CPIC Persons File:

Wanted
Accused
Prohibited
Parolee
Court Action
Refused
Missing
Special Interest to Police

Vehicle File (VQ/VR)

Vehicle File - General

This information is provided by CPIC. It will include a variety of records, some not normally available from their United States counterpart, FBI/NCIC.

Note the following important requirements for Vehicle File transactions with Canada:

Take no official action, and do not send any hit confirmations, without obtaining specific instructions from Washington D.C., Interpol.
The vehicle information has to be confirmed with the originating agency to ensure that the
data is current and correct, and that the status of such vehicle, as reported by the CPIC system,
allows the querying agency to detain and/or impound the vehicle as per specific instructions from the
Canadian agency that entered the vehicle into the CPIC system.

States must not programmatically generate inquiries to the Canadian vehicle file based on
routine inquiries to their state stolen vehicle file or NCIC's stolen vehicle file.

Types of Vehicle Information Available

Following are the different types of information that are available to United States users from the CPIC file. They are as follows:

Stolen
Surveillance (like Observation)
Crime
Seized (like Abandoned)
Pointer
To be Seized

Vehicle File (VQ/VR)

Vehicle File - General

This information is provided by the CPIC vehicle file. It will include a variety of records, some not normally available from their United States counterpart, FBI/NCIC.

Note the following important requirements for Vehicle File transactions with Canada:

Once it has been confirmed that the vehicle is the correct vehicle reported to be in question
and the status of such vehicle, as reported by the CPIC system, is current and correct, it
can be detained and/or impounded pending specific instructions from Washington INTERPOL
and/or the Canadian agency that entered the vehicle into the CPIC system. The locating
agency must immediately contact Washington INTERPOL for further instructions regarding
the vehicle.

States must not programmatically generate inquiries to the Canadian vehicle file based on
routine inquiries to their state stolen vehicle file or NCIC's stolen vehicle file.

Types of Vehicle Information Available

Following are the different types of information that are available to United States users from the CPIC file. They are as follows:

Stolen
Surveillance (like Observation)
Crime
Seized (like Abandoned)
Pointer
To be Seized

Vehicle File - Stolen (V or VEHICLE)

This refers to a vehicle that has been stolen, or taken from its rightful owner by the commission of a crime, (e.g., a vehicle purchased from a dealer under false pretenses).

Vehicle File – Surveillance (SURVEILLANCE VEHICLE – like Observed)

A vehicle under observation is one which is connected with criminal activities and may or may not be related to a specific individual.

Note the following important requirements for Vehicle File Observation transactions with Canada:

In the event a vehicle is reported as being under observation, absolutely no action is to be
taken by the inquiring officer. This information is provided solely for officer safety.

Subjects present or associated with the vehicle must not be notified that the vehicle is
reported under observation by the CPIC system.
The inquiring agency must contact Washington INTERPOL for further instructions
regarding the vehicle and/or occupants of such vehicle.

There may be instances where a "silent hit" occurs. This means that the agency that entered the record will be notified that you inquired on his record but you will receive a "no hit" message. In some instances the agency may contact you in regard to this inquiry.

Vehicle File - Crime (CRIME)

Crime vehicles are those vehicles known to be connected to the commission of a crime, (e.g., hit and run, murder, robbery, etc.). They are entered on the system by an agency wishing to examine the vehicle for possible evidence such as fingerprints, paint samples, bloodstains, disguises, empty shells, etc.

Vehicle File – Seized (like Abandoned)

This refers to a vehicle that comes into your possession through abandonment, seizure (including seizure by bailiff), or impounding by other means.

Vehicle File - Pointer (PNTRV or POINTERVEH)

This refers to a vehicle record whose function is only to "point" to a prime record in the system. For example, an individual wanted for a specific offense is entered into the system as a wanted person record. He is known to drive a particular car. The vehicle's particulars are entered on the system as a PNTRV record to point to the prime wanted person record should an inquiry be received concerning the vehicle only.

Vehicle File - To Be Seized

This category allows agency to record a vehicle which is to be seized as per court order or statute.

Vehicle Query Field Requirements (VQ)

For VIN inquiries only "CN" is allowed for the destination code.

For LIC inquiries, a providence or territory destination code must be used.

All fields are required (with either LIC/or VIN/).
For inquiries on license number, a 2-character province code must be used as the destination.
For inquiries on a VIN, the 2-character destination "CN" must be used.

The query includes the standard Nlets message header (XML or Legacy format), sender and destination ORIs, followed by the text of the message with the following fields.

The field requirements for an inquiry to Canada are as follows.

XML Entry: Legacy
Entry: Field
Size: Data
Requirements: Translation:

<j:VehicleRegistrationPlateID>

LIC/ 1-10 Alphanumeric License number. OR

<j:VehicleID>

VIN/ Max.
17 Alphanumeric Vehicle ID #. Optional

<n:ReasonCode>

RSN/ 1

Single Letter:
N, F, V, T,
S or H

Identify Reason
Code:
N - Narcotics
F - Fraud (includes
counterfeit
documents)
V - Violent crimes
(including robbery,
murder, rape,
bombing, etc.)
T - Traffic violations
S - Theft
H - Humanitarian

<n:SightedIndicator>

PPS/ 1

Must be Y or N
for text. True or
False for XML.

Identify "in-sight"
code. Note: Control field is used. This is permissible in all messages to Canada.

Vehicle Responses (VR)

The inquirer will receive a response indicating either a hit or a no record from the CPIC Vehicle File. The inquiring agency must contact Washington D.C., Interpol, who will in turn perform the hit confirmation request for the inquiring agency. Interpol will provide the hit status as well as the disposition of the record.

There may be some fields that are unfamiliar to the Nlets user. Below is a brief explanation of some of these fields from the example above.

Entry Explanation CONFIRM WITH ORIGINATING AGENCY This is a standard portion of the Canadian
record. CONTROL NUMBER This is used to record the police agency's
control or warrant number for the subject DL: A1234-50673-90122 DL identifies the Driver license number of the subject.
The format of the driver’s licence may vary depending on province. POI: ONT

The "POI" stands for "province of issue" and
the "ONT" is the province where the license
was issued.

Driver License Files (UQ/UR)

Driver License Files - General

Requests to Canada for driver license information must include NAM, DOB, SEX. RSN and PPS are optional fields.

The OLN field is optional on inquiries to Alberta, British Columbia, New Brunswick, Saskatchewan, Quebec and Ontario. If the OLN is not included in the inquiries to these provinces, the search of the driver license file will be by name and DOB.
If the OLN is included, the search of the driver license file for those provinces will be by OLN.
For all other provinces and territories the OLN, as well as the other five fields are required and the search of the driver license file will be by OLN.

Driver License Files (UQ/UR)

Driver License Files - General

Requests to Canada for driver license information must include NAM, DOB, SEX. RSN and PPS are optional fields.

The OLN field is optional on inquiries to Alberta, British Columbia, New Brunswick, Saskatchewan, Quebec and Ontario. If the OLN is not included in the inquiries to these provinces, the search of the driver license file will be by name and DOB.
If the OLN is included, the search of the driver license file for these four provinces will be by OLN.
For all other provinces and territories the OLN, as well as the other five fields are required and the search of the driver license file will be by OLN.

This inquiry will also result in a check of the Person file located on the CPIC system. The search of the Person file will be by NAM/DOB.

As a result of a single "UQ" inquiry you will receive both "URs" and "WRs". These are responses from the provinces/ territories (UR) and CPIC Person file (WR).

Driver License Files - Person File Access

The inquiry generated from a "UQ" query to the CPIC Person file will be by NAM/DOB. It will be as though you sent a "WQ" to Canada.

Driver License Files - Responses (UR/WR)

There are two types of responses that will result from a "UQ" inquiry:

Person file response (WR) and
Province/ territory response (UR).

Driver License Files - Person File (WR)

Since a UQ generates an inquiry of the CPIC Person file, the user will be receiving responses from the Person file.

The response will include suspended or prohibited driver status information for all province/territories except British Columbia who will provide the information from their own file.

For those provinces that provide their own registration information, a message will indicate that the query is being processed.

Note the following important requirements for Driver License File transactions with
Canada:

Take no official action on any response from the Canadian PERSON FILE without
obtaining specific instructions from Washington D.C., INTERPOL. This information is
provided for officer safety and is to be used only in conjunction with other information the
inquiring officer may have at his or her disposal at the time of inquiry.
In the event a person is reported as being under "observation", take no action based on
this information and do not divulge the existence of this information to the subject of record or any
non-criminal justice personnel.

Driver License Files - Province Territory (UR)

Only six provinces in Canada have automated driver license files. These four provinces also provide a search of either name and DOB, or OLN depending on whether the inquirer includes the OLN in their inquiry. They are:

Quebec
Ontario
Alberta
British Columbia
New Brunswick
Saskatchewan

When sending a Driver License Query (UQ) to an automated province, you will receive:

Person file check (includes any notification of driver license prohibition)
Check of the Province's driver license file.

When sending a Driver License Query (UQ) to a non-automated province or a territory, you will receive:

Person file check (includes notification of driver license prohibition)
Driver License Response (UR) message indicating that the province is non-automated
and, if information OTHER THAN STATUS is needed, send an "AM" message directly to
the province/territory for a manual check. The message will also contain the address of
the province or territory as well as a copy of the inquiry that was sent.

Below is a list of the provinces/territories and the ORIs to which the manual requests should be forwarded:

Province/Territory ORI Hours of Service 2-Character Code Alberta AB1010200 8am - 5pm (EST) M-F AB Alberta AB1012000 After hours/weekends AB British Columbia BC1028700 24 hrs - 7 days per wk BC Manitoba MB1007000 24 hrs - 7 days per wk MB New Brunswick NK1004000 24 hrs - 7 days per wk NK Newfoundland NF1004900 24 hrs - 7 days per wk NF Northwest Territory NT1003500 24 hrs - 7 days per wk NT Nova Scotia NS1005300 24 hrs - 7 days per wk NS Ontario ON4540000 24 hrs - 7 days per wk ON Prince Edward Island PE1000800 24 hrs - 7 days per wk PE Quebec PQ4004700 24 hrs - 7 days per wk PQ Saskatchewan SN1011700 24 hrs - 7 days per wk SN Yukon Territory YT1001500 24 hrs - 7 days per wk YT

Receiving driver license information from Canada and the various provinces and territories is no different than receiving the same type information from states of the United States in that the response formats are not standardized or uniform.

Different terminology is used, information is presented in different order, date of birth is recorded differently, and status codes and license type varies among the various provinces and territories.

Users may inquire into the Canadian help files in order to gain insight and interpretation for codes, etc. as Nlets users do for various state information.

Vehicle Registration Files (XQ/XR)

Vehicle Registration Files - General

This inquiry will result in a check of the province/territory registration file AND CPIC's Vehicle file.

The user may search on either license number or VIN.

Note that LIY and LIT are not used for Canadian vehicle registration inquiries.

A single vehicle registration query (XQ) may result in both vehicle registration responses from the province/territory files (XR) and CPIC Vehicle file responses (VR).

All inquiries to Canada can include the optional fields of reason code (RSN/) indicating the reason for the inquiry and the person/property in-sight code (PPS/) indicating whether the person or property is in-sight of the officer actually making or requesting the information.

Vehicle File Access

An inquiry generated from a vehicle registration query (XQ) will interrogate the CPIC vehicle file. It will be as though you sent a vehicle file query (VQ) to Canada.

Vehicle Registration Files - Inquiry Field Requirements (XQ)

Nlets standard header, sender ORI, and 2 character province/territory code followed by the elements below.

The vehicle registration query (XQ) has the following requirements.

XML Entry: Legacy
Entry: Field
Size: Data
Requirements: Translation:

<j:VehicleRegistrationPlateID>

LIC/ 1-10 Alpha/numeric Identify license
plate number. OR

<j:VehicleID>

VIN/ Max.
17 Alpha/numeric Vehicle ID #. Optional

<n:ReasonCode>

RSN/ 1

Single letter
code: N, F, V,
T, S or H.

Identify reason
code.
N - Narcotics
F - Fraud (includes
counterfeit
documents)
V - Violent crimes
(incl. robbery,
murder, rape,
bombing, etc.)
T - Traffic violations
S - Theft
H - Humanitarian

<n:SightedIndicator>

PPS/ 1

Must be Y or N
for text. True or
False for XML.

Identify "in-sight"
code.

Vehicle Registration Files - Responses (XR/VR)

There are two types of responses that will result from a "XQ" inquiry:

Vehicle file response (VR)
Province/territory response (XR).

Vehicle File (VR)

Since a VQ generates an inquiry of the CPIC Vehicle file, the user will be receiving responses from the Vehicle file.

Note the following important requirements below for Vehicle File transactions:

Once it has been confirmed that the vehicle is the correct vehicle reported to be in question,
and the status of such vehicle as reported by the CPIC system is current and correct, the
vehicle can be detained and/or impounded pending specific instructions from Washington D.C., Interpol.

The locating agency must immediately contact Washington INTERPOL for further
instructions regarding the vehicle.

In the event a vehicle is reported as being under observation, the inquiring
officer should take no action. This information is provided solely for officer safety.
Subjects present or associated with the vehicle must not be notified that the vehicle is
reported under observation by the CPIC system.
The inquiring agency must contact Washington INTERPOL for further instructions
regarding the vehicle and/or occupants of such vehicle.

Vehicle Registration Files - Province/Territory (XR)

Only six provinces in Canada house their automated vehicle registration files. They are:

Quebec
Ontario
Alberta
British Columbia
Saskatchewan
New Brunswick

All other provincial and territorial vehicle registration files are automated by CPIC thus inquiries to these provinces or territories will result in automated responses from CPIC rather than the provinces or territories.

When sending an "XQ" to a province or territory you will receive:

Vehicle file check on the CPIC vehicle file.
Vehicle registration check, either from CPIC or, for those six provinces named above,
directly from their file.

For those provinces that provide their own registration information, a message will indicate that the query is being processed. For those provinces that have their registration information on CPIC, the second part of the response will contain the registration information.

Note: There may be instances when the user sent an "XQ" and received only a "VR". This is
because CPIC held the file and returned a single response with both the hot file response as
well as the registration information.

The Canadian interface system will wait approximately 120 minutes for a response from the external R.O. system.

If no responses are forthcoming the system will return a canned message to the querying agency which states:

* ABOVE PROVINCIAL RO/DL SYSTEM RESPONSE DELAYED AT THIS TIME, IF NO
RESPONSE WITHIN 2 HOURS, PLEASE RESUBMIT *

Receiving vehicle registration information from Canada and the various provinces and territories is no different than receiving the same type information from states of the United States in that the response formats are not standardized or uniform.

Different terminology is used, information is presented in different order, and status codes and license type varies among the various provinces and territories.

Users may inquire into the Canadian help files in order to gain insight and interpretation for codes, etc. as Nlets users do today for various state information.

Article File (CAQ/CAR)

Article File - General

This information is provided by the CPIC file. There may also be occasions when the article record is associated with other records on the CPIC system. These will be returned as a part of the initial response.

Once the user has confirmed that the article is the correct article reported to be in question and the status of such article, as reported by the CPIC system, is current and correct, no official action may be taken without first contacting Washington D.C., Interpol for assistance regarding disposition of the article.

States must not programmatically generate inquiries to the Canadian Article File based on routine inquiries to their state stolen article file or NCIC's stolen article file.

Types of Article Information Available

Following are the different types of information that are available to United States users from the CPIC file. They are as follows:

Stolen
Lost or To be Seized
Recovered or Seized
Pawned

"Pawned" status is defined as follows:

"items of property which have been accepted from individuals as collateral for loans, and, for the purposes of the CPIC Property File, articles obtained by direct purchases where there is reason to believe they may have been stolen."

Article File - Query Field Requirements (CAQ)

The 2 character destination code will always be "CN" for article queries (CAQ).

The serial number field size, 23 characters, is available for input.

The serial number must be a unique number and not simply a model, stock, style, or part number. Do not enter "UNKNOWN" in this field.

No imbedded spaces or blanks are allowed.

IMPORTANT: If more than 16 characters are entered, the system will also search for matches on the first 16 characters and for matches on the last 16 characters in addition to the full serial number.

The table below describes the required entries.

XML Entry: Legacy
Entry: Field
Size: Data
Requirements: Translation:

<j:PropertySerialID>

SER/ Max.
23 Alpha/numeric Serial number

<j:PropertyTypeCode>

TYP/ 2 2 character
Type Code

Type Field:
AA - domestic appliances,
e.g. stoves, washers.
BI - non-motorized
bicycles, e.g. mountain
bikes, tandems, 10-speeds.
NOTE: Motorized bikes
are in the Vehicle File.
BU - Bulk entries that
have no unique identifiers,
but are the same commodity
and description, e.g.,
large shipment of
cigarettes
HH - Household property,
e.g. rugs, furniture.
JE - jewelry, e.g.
watches, rings.
MI - musical instruments,
e.g. violins, guitars.
MT - machinery and tools,
e.g. electrical motors,
lawn mowers.
NOTE: Lawn mowers
capable of carrying an
operator are in the
Vehicle File.
OM - office machines and
equipment, e.g. computers.
PA - personal accessories,
e.g. hearing aids,
luggage.
PE - photographic
equipment, e.g. camera,
enlargers.
PH - telephones, wireless
communication devices,
i.e. cellular phones,
Blackberry and PDA
RA - radio, TV, sound-
reproducing equipment,
e.g. VCR's.
SC - scientific, optical
and measuring devices,
e.g. binoculars.
SP - sporting goods,
hobby equipment, e.g.
skis, model aircraft,
scuba equipment.
OT - all other articles,
e.g. animals, vending
machines, precious
metals such as gold bars,
uniquely identifiable
gun barrels.

Article Files - Response (CAR)

The user is responsible for contacting Washington D.C., Interpol prior to confirming the article hit with the entering Canadian agency.

The user must add two zeroes to the end of the Canadian address to create the correct destination address.

Article File Response - No Record

This occurs when no matching record was found in the Canadian file.

Article File Response - Possible Hit

If a possible hit has been made on the Canadian Article File, the user determines that the article matches the article described in the record. He must confirm that the record is still valid with the entering agency, and must contact Washington D.C., Interpol, prior to taking any action.

Gun File (CGQ/CGR)

Gun File - General

The CPIC file provides this information. There may also be occasions when the gun record is associated with other records on the CPIC system. These will be returned as a part of the initial response.

Each inquiry will interrogate both the stolen gun file as well as the Canadian gun registration file. Note: Will receive one response (CGR) from CPIC and a second CGR from CFRO.

The term "gun" means any barreled weapon that can discharge a bullet or other missile, or any imitation of such a weapon. The types of weapons include:

Revolver or pistol
Rifle
Shotgun
Flint/cap/matchlock muzzleloader
Automatic weapons, e.g. machine guns/pistols
Signal flare, rocket or gas guns
Air guns (rifle or pistol).

Once it has been confirmed that the gun is the correct gun reported to be in question and the status of such gun, as reported by the CPIC system, is current and correct, the locating agency must contact Washington D.C., Interpol prior to taking any action, sending a hit confirmation, and/or seizing the gun.

States must not programmatically generate inquiries to the Canadian Gun File based on routine inquiries to their state stolen gun file or NCIC's stolen gun file.

On all inquiries to Canada the user must include the serial number (SER) and type (TYP). Optional fields include reason code (RSN/) indicating the reason for the inquiry and the person/property in-sight code (PPS/) indicating whether the person or property is in-sight of the officer actually making or requesting the information.

Types of Gun Information Available

Following are the different types of information that are available to United States users from the CPIC file. They are:

Stolen
Lost or Missing
Recovered
Pawned or loaned
Seized
To be seized

Pawned or loaned status is defined as follows: "guns which have been accepted from individuals as collateral for loans, and, for the purposes of the CPIC Gun File, guns obtained by direct purchases where there is reason to believe they may have been stolen."

Gun File - Query Field Requirements (CGQ)

The destination code for all Gun File queries (CGQ) is “CN”.

The serial number field size, 23 characters, is available for input. The serial number must be a unique number and not simply a model, stock, style, or part number. No imbedded spaces or blanks are allowed.

IMPORTANT: If more than 11 characters are entered, the system will also search for matches on the first 11 characters and for matches on the last 11 characters in addition to the full serial number. The Gun File query (CGQ) will have the following format. All fields are required in addition to the standard Nlets header.

XML Entry: Legacy
Entry: Field
Size: Data
Requirements: Translation:

<j:PropertySerialID>

SER/ Max.
23 Alpha/numeric Serial number.

<j:PropertyTypeCode>

TYP/ 2 2 character
Type Code

Type Field
SG - shotgun
RI - rifle
RW - restricted weapon
OT - other only

Optional

<n:ReasonCode>

RSN/ 1 Single letter: N,
F, V, T, S or H.

Identify reason code:
N - Narcotics
F - Fraud (includes
counterfeit
documents)
V - Violent crimes
(incl. robbery,
murder, rape,
bombing, etc.)
T - Traffic violations
S - Theft
H - Humanitarian,

<n:SightedIndicator>

PPS/ 1

Must be Y or N
for text. True or
False for XML.

Identify "in-sight"
code.

Gun File - Response (CGR)

The user is responsible for contacting Washington D.C., Interpol prior to confirming the gun hit with the entering Canadian agency.

The destination address of the agency that entered the record may be found in the record itself but it is incomplete. It will state "Entered by:" followed by the name and 7-character address of the agency.

The user must add two zeroes to the end of the Canadian address to create the correct destination address. Proceed through the normal hit confirmation process as with any other stolen gun.

Gun File Response - No Record (CGR)

This occurs when no matching record was found in the Canadian file.

Gun File Response - Possible Hit (CGR)

If a possible hit has been made on the Canadian Gun File and the user determines that the gun matches the gun described in the record, the user must contact Washington D.C., Interpol prior to confirming that the record is still valid with the entering agency.

Gun Registration File Questions

For questions on information received from the registration file, contact:

RCMP’s Firearms Registration and Administration Section
73 Leikin Drive, Mailstop #6, Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 0R2
ORI: ON801900
Phone: 1-800-731-4000 ext: 1055
Fax: (877) 699-4928

Securities File (CSQ/CSR)

Securities File - General

This information is provided by the CPIC file. There may also be occasions when the securities record is associated with other records on the CPIC system. These will be returned as a part of the initial response.

Once Interpol has confirmed that the security is the correct security reported to be in question and the status of such security, as reported by the CPIC system, is current and correct, it can be impounded pending specific instructions from Washington D.C., Interpol. The locating agency must contact Washington INTERPOL for assistance regarding disposition of the security.

States must not programmatically generate inquiries to the Canadian Securities file based on routine inquiries to their state stolen securities file or NCIC's stolen securities file.

Types of Securities Information Available

Following are the different types of securities information that are available to United States users from the CPIC file. They are:

Stolen
Lost or Missing
Pawned or loaned
Counterfeit
Fraudulent and recovered securities such as bonds, currency, credit cards, ID's traveler's checks and passports.

There are eleven different types of securities; each assigned a two-character type code. They are:

Code Type of Security BD Corporate bonds and debentures issued by corporations, including banks, trust
companies, charitable/religious groups, credit unions and co-operatives. CC Canadian-issued currency. CU Foreign-issued currency. FD Firearms document. ID Stolen, lost, or fraudulent identification documents. MO Money orders and traveler's checks. PP Canadian and foreign passports. SB Federal, provincial and municipal bonds and debentures. ST Stocks. VD Vehicle documents (Driver’s license and Registration). OT All other security documents.

Securities File Query Format

Queries may be made on four different combinations.

The type field must be included on all inquiries however only certain types are allowed depending on what you are searching the file on. For example, for a query on "issuer" only the type "ST" (TYP/ST) is permissible.

Below is a list of various data elements for the query along with the allowable types in parentheses.

serial # and type (all codes listed above)
corporation name and type (SB,BD,MO,OT, FD, VD)
issuer and type (ST)
owner name and type (BD,ID,MO,PP,SB,VD,OT, FD)

The Serial number, the Issuer, the Corporation name, or the owner name along with the appropriate type are required. Optional fields include the RSN and PPS fields.

The destination code for all Securities File queries (CSQ) is "CN".

The serial number field size, 23 characters, is available for input. No imbedded spaces or blanks are allowed.

IMPORTANT: If you type in more than 16 characters, the system will also search for matches on the first 16 characters and for matches on the last 16 characters in addition to the full serial number.

The inquiry transaction will have the following format.

XML Entry: Legacy
Entry: Field
Size: Data
Requirements: Translation:

<nc:ItemSerialIdentification>
  <nc:IdentificationID>
</nc:ItemSerialIdentification>

SER/ Max.
23 Alpha/numeric Serial number. OR

<nc:SecurityIssuer>

ISS/ Max.
30 Alpha/numeric Name of issuer of
security OR

<nc:ItemOwner>

COR/ Max.
30 Alpha

Name of
corporation
registered as
owner of the
security

<nc:SecuritiesIssuer>
  <nc:EntityOrganization>
    <nc:PersonName>
    <nc:PersonFullName>
  </nc:PersonName>
</nc:SecuritiesIssuer>

NAM/ Max.
30 Alpha Name of owner of
security

<nc:ItemCategoryText>

TYP/ 2 2 character
Type Code

Security Type:
BD - Corporate bonds
and debentures issued
by corporations,
including banks, trust
companies,
charitable/religious
groups, credit unions
and co-operatives.
CC - Canadian-issued
currency.
CU - foreign-issued
currency.
ID - stolen, lost, or
fraudulent identification
documents.
MO - money orders
and traveler's checks.
PP - Canadian and
foreign passports.
SB - federal, provincial
and municipal bonds
and debentures
ST - stocks.
VD - vehicle
documents.
OT - all other security
documents.

Securities File - Responses (CSR)

The user is responsible for contacting Washington D.C., Interpol prior to confirming the security hit with the entering Canadian agency.

The destination address of the agency that entered the record may be found in the record itself but it is incomplete. It will state "Entered by:" followed by the name and 7 character address of the agency. You must add two zeroes to the end of the Canadian address to create the correct destination address. You will then proceed through the normal hit confirmation process as you would with any other stolen security.

Securities File Response - No Record

This occurs when no matching record was found in the Canadian file.

Securities File Response - Possible Hit

If a possible hit has been made on the Canadian Securities File and the user determines that the security matches the security described in the record the user must contact Washington D.C., Interpol to confirm that the record is still valid with the entering agency prior to taking any action.

Boat File (CBQ/CBR)

Boat File - General

This information is provided by the CPIC stolen boat file. If you need registration information send an administrative request to CPIC (ORI = ON1000000) to request a manual search. A boat is defined as a watercraft, which may be a small open vessel, a large vessel, or ship, propelled by oars, sails or engine(s).

Once it has been confirmed that the boat is the correct boat reported to be in question and the status of such boat, as reported by the CPIC system, is current and correct, Washington D.C., Interpol must be contact prior to the boat being impounded. The locating agency must contact Washington Interpol for hit confirmation assistance and for information regarding disposition of the boat.

Types of Boat Information Available

Following are the different types of information that are available to United States users from the CPIC file. They are:

Stolen
Lost or Missing
Pawned
Recovered
Seized
To be Seized

Boat File Query Format (CBQ)

The 2 character destination code must be "CN" for all CBQ messages to Canada.

At least one of the five key fields must be included in the inquiry (i.e. LIC, BHN, REG, NAM, SAILNO). To query by Sail Number, you may input the information into any of the existing fields.

Users may also query the Boat File for information on stolen motors. The inquiry is made by serial number and requires a type code.

When an inquiry is made on any of the five items, Canada will search all five indices. For example, if the query is on LIC/1234 and there is a boat with a hull number of "1234" it will be returned. The Canadian system does this to compensate for human error in recognizing which field is which.

Canada uses the prefix "HIN" for hull number. In the United States "BHN" is used. They are synonymous.

The control field is permissible for all messages to Canada.

The inquiry transaction will have the following format.

XML Entry: Legacy
Entry: Field
Size: Data
Requirements: Translation:

<j:VehicleRegistrationPlateID>

LIC/ 1-10 Alpha/numeric License plate number. OR

<j:BoatHullID>

BHN/ Max.
12 Alpha/numeric

Identify hull ID
number. CPIC will use
HIN for this field in
their response.

<j:RegistrationID>

REG/ 1-10 Alpha/numeric

Registration number of
large vessels that do
not have to be licensed
but must be registered.

<j:PropertyOwnerAppliedID>

NAM/ Max.
13 Alphabetic Name of boat on hull
or stern. OR

<j:PropertySerialID>

SER/ 1-18 Alpha/numeric Boat motor serial
number.

<j:PropertyTypeText>

TYP/ 5 Type Code

Type code:
INB
OUTB
INOUT
OTHER

Boat File - Responses (CBR)

The user is responsible for contacting Washington D.C., Interpol prior to confirming the boat hit with the entering Canadian agency.

The user must add two zeroes to the end of the Canadian address to create the correct destination address.

Boat File Response - No Record (CBR)

This occurs when no matching record was found in the Canadian file.

Boat File Response - Possible Hit (CBR)

If a possible hit has been made on the Canadian Boat File, the user determines whether the boat matches the boat described in the record. He must confirm within Washington D.C., Interpol that the record is still valid with the entering agency prior to taking any action.

Criminal History File (IQ/IR, FQ/FR, AQ/AR)

Criminal History File - General

The process for accessing Canadian criminal history records from the RCMP is the same as accessing criminal records in the United States, IQ/FQ/AQ. There are a few differences in the formats however.

Canada's unique number assigned to an individual based on fingerprints is the "FPS" number.
Canada has an optional field to access additional records when multiple hits on name inquiries are received.
The destination is always "CN".

Only agencies that are allowed access to the Triple I file are allowed access to the Canadian criminal history file.

The Identification Data Bank at the Canadian Police Information Centre(CPIC) contains two categories of criminal record data which may be queried by U. S. agencies.

Criminal name index containing an index of names and identity information on one or more individuals.

Full criminal record, containing the conviction history.

If you have questions about the accuracy or timeliness of the information in a criminal record file, contact the RCMP Records Compilation Section at ORI = ON1007100.

Criminal Name Index Query (IQ)

The "IQ" is utilized when the agency does not have the FPS Canadian identification number. (The FPS number is Canada's version of the FBI number; a unique number assigned to each criminal record and backed up by fingerprints.)

Response to this type of inquiry will provide personal identification information of one or multiple individuals.
Normally, CPIC will return the three records that achieved the highest score.
The user will have the option of retrieving additional records using the "RAR" optional field on a subsequent request.
The user may request that more than three records be returned on the initial inquiry by including the "RAR" field in the initial inquiry with the number of records (up to 10) the user wishes to see.

Once the identification record(s) have been returned it is at the option of the inquirer to select the individual the user is interested in and submit an "FQ" in order to retrieve the full criminal record.

This works very much like NCIC's QH/QR or Nlets interstate IQ/FQ procedures.

The Criminal Name Index query (IQ) will have the following format.

XML Entry: Legacy
Entry: Field
Size: Data
Requirements: Translation:

<n:PurposeCode>

PUR/ 1 Must be C, E,
F, D, J or S Identify purpose code.

See Introduction Page

for more information.

<n:Attention>

ATN/ 30 Alphabetic Identify attention field.
Name of requestor.

<j:PersonFullName>

NAM/ Max.
30 Alphabetic

Full name; format is
last name, comma,
space after comma is
optional) first name,
space, middle initial or
name.

<j:PersonBirthDate>

DOB/ 8 Express as
ccyy-mm-dd Date of Birth.

<j:PersonSexCode>

SEX/ 1 M or F M = male, F = female

This query will check CPIC criminal history index and return candidates.

Note that this initial request will return the three records that achieve the highest score.

If the response indicates that there are additional identity records on file, the requestor may retrieve these by using the "RAR" field in a subsequent inquiry.

Note: If the inquirer wanted to retrieve more than 3 records on the initial inquiry he could
include the "RAR" field in the inquiry with only a number indicating the number of records
to be retrieved.

Criminal Name Index Response (IR)

When the user queries the CPIC criminal history file by name he will receive identity information only. There is no manual intervention on this response from CPIC.

If the inquiry was by FPS# a full criminal record may be returned.

Criminal Name Index Response - No Record (IR)

This occurs when no match is found on either the name or FPS number.

Positive Response Based on Name Query (IR)

This response is based on an inquiry by name and DOB. It provides identity information on the subject and an FPS number.

If the user wishes to access the full criminal record he must submit the FPS number using the "FQ" message format.

If there are more than 3 identification records that match your name inquiry only the three highest scoring records will be returned.

In order to retrieve additional records, up to 10, you must send the standard "IQ" message with the optional "RAR" field as the last data field.

Note: Commas must separate the above values

Explanation of Fields

There are some fields that may be unfamiliar to the recipient of Canadian identity records.

Below is a brief explanation of some of these fields.

Field Explanation QUERY VALUE This is the maximum score that you could receive based on the
information in your inquiry. RESPONDENT'S
SCORE This is the score that the computer calculated when it compared
your I/P information to the record that was returned. FPS This is the unique number assigned to an individual based on
fingerprints (similar to the FBI number in the United States). *** CAUTION ***

This is a cautionary warning and will be followed by one of the two
codes below. It will appear when the record subject is considered
dangerous to himself/herself or to other persons. Unlike the
persons record, this code will not be expanded.

Violence, an automatic caution for charges involving violence,
robbery, or offensive weapons. If "V" code is shown (for violent)
the response will also include the line * CR QUERY RECOMMENDED *.
This is an indication to the user to do a "FQ" query on the above
subject to obtain his/her full criminal record.

E Escape Custody, when any attempted or actual escape,
regardless of whether a charge is laid, is reported. FILE OPEN

A criminal record is called a "file". Users should only receive files
that have this notation. The following qualifying statements may
appear after the status description of "FILE OPEN".

TRANSFERRED FROM
FPS XXXXX

This indicates that more than one record existed for the same
person and these have been brought together under the one FPS
number.

HISTORY UNDER
REVIEW

This indicates that an attempt by Ident. Services operators to enter
data into the subject history area was rejected by the system and
has not been corrected.

SUBJECT REPORTED
DEAD

This indicates that a notification was received that the subject has
died but the notification was not accompanied by the required set
of confirming fingerprints identifiable to the record subject.

Full Criminal Record Query (FQ)

The Full Record Query (FQ) is used to obtain a full criminal record when the FPS is known.

XML Entry: Legacy
Entry: Field
Size: Data
Requirements: Translation:

<n:FingerprintFPSID>

FPS/ Max.
7 Alphanumeric

FPS identification number,
based on fingerprints and
assigned by the RCMP; users
may use "SID" if it is more
convenient; Nlets and
Canada will accept either one.
The computer will treat them
the same.

This query will check CPIC criminal history file and return all criminal history that matches the FPS number.

Full Criminal Record Response (FR)

This record may be returned when the user submits an FPS number. All criminal record information in the CPIC file will be returned (with the exception of that information not authorized to be sent internationally).

Because RCMP Identification Services must review all records prior to sending them internationally, users may receive an interim message notifying them that they have realized a hit and it is being verified by the RCMP Identification Services Directorate.

The criminal record is laid out in three columns:

The first has the date in CCYY-MM-DD format and the place of the incident.
The second column has the charges.
The third the disposition.

There are some fields or abbreviations that may be unfamiliar to the Nlets users.

Below is an explanation of some of the more commonly used terms.
Should you have difficulty deciphering any of the information you may contact
RCMP HQ Forensic Science & Identification Services – Criminal Records Information Management System at ORI = ON1007100.

Field Explanation Q CR LANG:E The "Q CR" are control information unique to Canada. The "LANG:E"
indicates that the requested language of the record is in English. LVL:2 This indicates the amount of information provided by CPIC and is
used by their system. REM:

This is a remarks field used by the Canadian system to exchange
information. It will contain a control number, the ORI of the US
agency, the Nlets control field, and the attention (ATN) field.

CC An abbreviation for "Criminal code". It will generally be after several
numbers in the 2nd column of the record. TORONTO PF In the second column, the agency along with the case (1234-88)
number is provided if available.

Non-retrievable Criminal History Record

The RCMP has some unique dissemination requirements for records transmitted internationally. Therefore it is possible to retrieve a valid identity record, request the full record using the FPS number and receive a message that states that the record matching the FPS number submitted contains only information that can not be disseminated outside of Canada.

Supplemental Criminal History Inquiry and Response (AQ/AR)

The AQ format is not accepted by Canada. All information is provided on the initial FQ query.

Administrative Messages

Administrative Messages - General

Nlets users may direct administrative messages to up to 5 destinations on the CPIC network.

Administrative messages must include:

Reason for the request
Name of the requester

General Administrative Messages

These messages will generally be for investigative reasons of a broad nature, to request driver license information from non-automated provinces or to send broadcast messages of international interest.

Each message must contain the reason for the request and the requestor's name. If an address is unknown, ORION may be used to obtain the Canadian address code.

To broadcast an "AM" message, it must be addressed to "CN" for a country-wide broadcast.

Only narrative messages dealing with urgent operational police matters will be considered for nationwide broadcast in Canada.

Canada has NO facility for broadcasting messages to individual provinces therefore "AM" messages to 2-character province or territory should not be sent. These will be reviewed by INTERPOL in the U.S. prior to forwarding to Canada.

Access Non Automated Driver License Information

Driver license information may be accessed by name and date of birth, from the provinces and territories that do not provide automated responses by name and DOB. This non-automated information must be requested using an "AM" message.

ORION

Canada has added records for their agencies to the NLETS ORION file. You may access it in the same manner as you would a U.S. agency using the two characters "CN" for all provinces and territories as the destination.

All Canadian ORIs are 7 characters but two zeros are added to the end to make them 9 character ORIs.

HELP Files

There have been several HELP files assigned to Canada to assist the users in accessing this interface. The user should recognize that the RCMP supports many of the files that are accessible through the interface thus there will only be a single HELP file for these.

There will however be a HELP file for each province and territory for driver license and vehicle registration information.

Each province/territory in Canada has the following HELP files:
XXLICHELP = one for each province/territory
XXOLNHELP =one for each province/territory
Where XX = province/territory code.

Single HELP records exist for the following information:

HELP File Explanation CNGENHELP General help information on Canada CNLICHELP General Vehicle Registration help information. CNOLNHELP General Driver License help information. CNPERHELP Wanted Persons help information CNVEHHELP Stolen Vehicles help information. CNSIRHELP Criminal History help information CNGUNHELP Stolen Gun help information. CNSECHELP Stolen Securities help information. CNARTHELP Stolen Article help information. CNBOTHELP Boat/Motor help information.