The Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE), in conjunction with the Florida Sheriffs Association, Florida Police Chiefs Association, and local law enforcement agencies, is placing Florida Crime Information Center (FCIC) "Hot Files" on the Internet in an effort to solicit public support in locating stolen property, wanted persons and missing persons.
Persons looking to buy used guns, vehicles or other property now will have a
tool to check whether the item is stolen. If an Internet inquiry results in a "hit", we ask the inquirer to send tips to the local law enforcement agency that entered the stolen item's information. Citizens should not attempt to take the law into their own hands, but rather become more active partners with local law enforcement. It is anticipated that tips from the public will result in stolen items being recovered and returned to their rightful owners and will assist in the arrest of the offenders.
Collectively, all law enforcement agencies in Florida have agreed to allow FDLE to provide these records to the public via the Internet. These are not FDLE records; however FDLE acts as a central repository for FCIC records. Currently, FCIC contains more than 150,000 records of stolen guns, and approximately 74,000 records of stolen vehicles.
Florida was the first state in the country to offer this type of information on a statewide basis over the Internet.