Reading Room Document

FBI Disclosure to Local or State Law Enforcement Agency of Personal Information Obtained From Another Law Enforcement Agency

This document is a memorandum addressing the issue of whether the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is subject to the accounting requirements of the Privacy Act when disclosing personal information to state or local law enforcement agencies. The conclusion reached is that the handling and transfer of the documents would be subject to the requirements of the Privacy Act, and that the FBI's current practices may not comply with the procedural requirements of the Act. The document presents questions regarding the legality of disclosing records to state or local agencies without establishing a "routine use" under the Privacy Act, and suggests potential solutions to alleviate the problem, such as identifying the records in the FBI Central Records System or avoiding a "system of records" format.

January 16, 1979