The National Crime Information Center (NCIC) is a computerized index of criminal justice information (i.e., criminal record history information, fugitives, stolen properties, and missing persons). It is available to local, state, and federal law enforcement and other criminal justice agencies and is operational 24 hours per day, 365 days per year. The purpose for maintaining the NCIC system is to provide a computerized database for ready access by a criminal justice agency making an inquiry and to provide prompt disclosure of information in the system from other criminal justice agencies. This information assists authorized agencies in criminal justice and related law enforcement objectives, such as apprehending fugitives, locating missing persons, and locating and returning stolen property, as well as protecting law enforcement officers.