Rules and expectations for agency use of CaseTrace.

This Agency Use Policy explains the expectations for law enforcement agencies, public-safety partners, missing-person units, authorized reviewers, and other reviewed users who may receive agency-level access to CaseTrace.

The goal is to support responsible public awareness, accurate case visibility, safer tip handling, and clear correction/removal processes without disrupting existing agency workflows.

CaseTrace may be used to support:

• Public awareness of missing-person cases
• Case visibility through mobile-first case pages
• Responsible sharing of case information
• Flyer and public-share tools
• Structured tip or sighting intake where enabled
• Agency review of assigned cases
• Correction, update, limitation, or removal requests
• Public education around safe and responsible engagement

CaseTrace does not replace:

• 911 or emergency reporting
• Official law enforcement reports
• NCIC, NamUs, NCMEC, or other official systems
• Agency investigative databases
• Agency case-management systems
• Official public-information officer communications
• Legal, investigative, or evidentiary review processes

Official records remain with the investigating agency, NamUs, NCIC, NCMEC, or the original source.

Agency-level access is not automatically granted. CaseTrace may review agency access requests before enabling private tools, dashboard access, case review features, tip workflows, or agency-branded visibility tools.

Verification may include reviewing agency name, requester role, official email address, agency website, public agency phone number, requested access reason, and the cases or workflows the requester wants to review.

Public email addresses may require additional verification before agency tools are enabled. CaseTrace may decline, pause, or limit access if verification is incomplete.

Agencies may receive review access only after agency review and verification. Review access may include agency dashboard tools, case review features, tip workflows, flyer/share tools, correction workflows, and visibility tools where appropriate.

Review access does not guarantee permanent access, partnership, endorsement, or continued availability of any specific feature. CaseTrace may limit, suspend, or remove access at any time for safety, security, misuse, inactivity, verification concerns, or operational reasons.

Reviewed agency users should only access assigned agencies, assigned cases, assigned alerts, assigned tips, or approved workflows.

A reviewed agency user should not automatically receive access to every case or every private submission in CaseTrace.

Access may be limited by agency, role, case assignment, geography, review scope, or operational need.

Submitted tips are not intended for public display. They are intended for authorized review only.

Agency users should handle tips responsibly and in accordance with their own agency policies, applicable laws, privacy expectations, and investigative procedures.

CaseTrace may support tip statuses such as new, reviewed, needs follow-up, forwarded, closed, or spam/abuse where enabled.

If an agency, family representative, or verified source identifies incorrect, outdated, unsafe, or sensitive information, CaseTrace provides a path to request correction, update, limitation, or removal.

Submitting a correction or removal request does not automatically change public case information. Requests may be reviewed, verified, approved, rejected, completed, or retained for accountability.

CaseTrace may update, limit, archive, unpublish, or remove information when appropriate based on safety, accuracy, privacy, source reliability, or family-sensitivity concerns.

Agency users and public users should avoid language or behavior that encourages harassment, speculation, accusations, doxxing, vigilantism, or independent investigations.

CaseTrace is intended to help the public share responsibly and direct credible information through proper channels.

Public messaging should avoid implying guilt, identifying unverified suspects, or encouraging members of the public to confront or investigate anyone.

CaseTrace may display source or confidence labels to help users understand where case information came from.

Examples may include:

• Public source: NamUs
• Source: FBI
• Source: Local Agency
• Family Submitted — Pending Verification
• Agency Managed
• Public Awareness Only

A source label does not necessarily mean that an agency endorses CaseTrace or that every detail has been independently verified by CaseTrace.

CaseTrace should not be used to:

• Encourage the public to investigate or confront anyone
• Publish knowingly false or misleading information
• Harass, threaten, shame, or target individuals
• Expose private information without authorization
• Bypass official reporting or investigative procedures
• Misrepresent agency approval, endorsement, or authority
• Use agency tools outside approved access scope
• Access tips or case records without authorization

CaseTrace may limit, suspend, or remove agency access for verification concerns, misuse, security risk, unauthorized access, inaccurate representation, inactivity, request by an agency administrator, or other trust and safety concerns.

CaseTrace may also limit or remove public case visibility when continued display may create safety, privacy, accuracy, legal, or family-sensitivity concerns.

CaseTrace may maintain records related to agency access requests, review decisions, correction/removal requests, case updates, tip review activity, and other sensitive administrative actions.

These records may be used for security, troubleshooting, accountability, abuse prevention, operational integrity, and review of disputed actions.

Agencies or verified representatives can request review, access, or corrections through the agency and correction request paths below.