Notice2026-08317
Privacy Act of 1974; Systems of Records
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
April 29, 2026
Issuing agencies
Justice Department
Abstract
Pursuant to the Privacy Act of 1974 (5 U.S.C. 552a), CRT proposes to establish a new system of records titled "Civil Rights Division Reporting Portal," JUSTICE/CRT-012. This system of records modernizes how the Division receives reports of alleged civil rights violations from the public. It operates as a web application and database where the public will be able to access a streamlined, responsive web form to report potential violations of federal civil rights laws and securely submit the completed form to the database. The system also allows CRT to add reports received through non-web channels, such as hardcopy mail, telephone, email, or fax to the portal's database. This system enables the Division to more efficiently review and process reports to determine whether a report may contain information that supports further inquiry by CRT or pertains to ongoing investigations and legal proceedings on various issues related to protecting civil rights. This system will also allow the Division to provide status updates to the public, track portal metrics, and analyze progress on the concerns raised by the reports.
Full Text
<html>
<head>
<title>Federal Register, Volume 91 Issue 82 (Wednesday, April 29, 2026)</title>
</head>
<body><pre>
[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 82 (Wednesday, April 29, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 23117-23121]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-08317]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
[CPCLO Order No. 003-2026]
Privacy Act of 1974; Systems of Records
AGENCY: United States Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division (CRT
or the Division).
ACTION: Notice of a new system of records.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: Pursuant to the Privacy Act of 1974 (5 U.S.C. 552a), CRT
proposes to establish a new system of records titled ``Civil Rights
Division Reporting Portal,'' JUSTICE/CRT-012. This system of records
modernizes how the Division receives reports of alleged civil rights
violations from the public. It operates as a web application and
database where the public will be able to access a streamlined,
responsive web form to report potential violations of federal civil
rights laws and securely submit the completed form to the database. The
system also allows CRT to add reports received through non-web
channels, such as hardcopy mail, telephone, email, or fax to the
portal's database. This system enables the Division to more efficiently
review and process reports to determine whether a report may contain
information that supports further inquiry by CRT or pertains to ongoing
investigations and legal proceedings on various issues related to
protecting civil rights. This system will also allow the Division to
provide status updates to the public, track portal metrics, and analyze
progress on the concerns raised by the reports.
DATES: In accordance with 5 U.S.C. 552a(e)(4) and (11), this notice is
effective upon publication, subject to a 30-day period in which to
comment on the routine uses, described below. Please submit any
comments by May 29, 2026.
ADDRESSES: The public, OMB and Congress are invited to submit any
comments by mail to the United States Department of Justice, Office of
Privacy and Civil Liberties, ATTN: Privacy Analyst, 145 N St. NE, Suite
8W.300, Washington, DC 20530; by facsimile at 202-307-0693; or by email
at <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#9dedeff4ebfcfee4b3fef2f0edf1f4fcf3fef8dde8eef9f2f7b3faf2eb"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="ef9f9d86998e8c96c18c80829f83868e818c8aaf9a9c8b8085c1888099">[email protected]</span></a>. To ensure proper handling, please
reference the above CPCLO Order No. on your correspondence.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Randy Abramson, Product Manager, Civil
Rights Division, 950 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20530-0001,
202-598-9631.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: To assist in carrying out its mission of
protecting the civil rights of all people in the United States, the
Division established the Civil Rights Division Reporting Portal. The
Portal provides individual members of the public with easy access to a
user-friendly process to report, in detail, potential allegations of
federal civil rights violations via a web application form, and to
submit the completed form to a secure database. While the reporting
form requests some personal data, such as the name, address, email,
etc. of the individual completing the report, it does not ask for
identifying numbers, such as social security or employee identifiers.
Individuals will have the opportunity to decline to provide some forms
of information and to review their reports before submitting them.
Members of the public will only have access to information about their
own reports within the system. They will not have access to the
database or be able to view reports of others.
Authorized CRT employees will use the system to open and close
reports, as well as to assign, review, search, group, reroute, and
track reports. The system can also be used to communicate with members
of the public who submit reports.
Where appropriate and authorized by law, CRT employees will use
reports/records in this system for the following purposes:
(1) Internal Processing: Sorting, filtering or searching of reports
for ease of analysis and processing.
(2) Civil Enforcement Activities: Initiating a new investigation or
adding to an ongoing investigation.
(3) Criminal Enforcement Activities: Direct victims and/or
witnesses of potentially criminal conduct to contact the appropriate
law enforcement agency or forward to CRT's Criminal Section.
(4) Litigation: If a report relates to ongoing litigation, the
record may be used in that litigation.
(5) Disposition: Following CRT records retention guidelines. CRT
employees designate a time when reports are to be removed from the
system. Once removed, the reports are permanently deleted from the
system. In other cases, reports are sent to NARA pursuant to the
requirements of the Federal Records Act.
(6) Public Communications: CRT employees may use the system to
reply to and communicate with the public via email, physical mail or
phone. Employees may also use the system to educate the public on CRT
enforcement areas and redirect, when possible, to better resources
outside of CRT. Finally, the system may be used to provide
[[Page 23118]]
status updates to the individual members of the public on their
reports.
This system will be included in the CRT's inventory of record
systems.
Dated: April 23, 2026.
Peter A. Winn,
Chief Privacy and Civil Liberties Officer (Acting), United States
Department of Justice.
JUSTICE/CRT-012
SYSTEM NAME AND NUMBER:
Civil Rights Division Reporting Portal, JUSTICE/CRT-012.
SECURITY CLASSIFICATION:
Unclassified.
SYSTEM LOCATION:
Access to these electronic records includes all department
locations that CRT operates or that support CRT operations, including
U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division, 950 Pennsylvania
Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20530-0001.
SYSTEM MANAGER(S):
Amanda Bryce, Chief Information Officer, Civil Rights Division, 950
Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20530-0001, 202-305-5323,
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#9edff3fff0faffb0dcece7fdfbdeebedfaf1f4b0f9f1e8"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="f6b79b97989297d8b4848f9593b6838592999cd8919980">[email protected]</span></a>.
AUTHORITY FOR MAINTENANCE OF THE SYSTEM:
The records in this system of records are kept under the authority
of the following statutes: Official Misconduct, 18 U.S.C. 241, 242; The
Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr., Hate Crimes Prevention Act of
2009; Federally Protected Activities, 18 U.S.C. 245; Criminal
Interference with Right to Fair Housing, 18 U.S.C. 3631; Damage to
Religious Property, 18 U.S.C. 247; Trafficking Victims Protection Act
(TVPA); Freedom of Access to Clinics Entrances Act (FACE); Criminal
Protection for Voting Rights, 18 U.S.C. 594; Americans with
Disabilities Act, Title I; Americans with Disabilities Act, Title II;
Americans with Disabilities Act, Title III; Rehabilitation Act of 1973;
Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title VII; Uniformed Services Employment and
Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA); Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IV;
Equal Education Opportunities Act of 1974 (EEOA); Individuals with
Disabilities in Education Act (IDEA); Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title
VI; Education Amendments of 1972, Title IX; Civil Rights Act of 1964,
Title II; Fair Housing Act (FHA); Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA);
Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA);
Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA); Immigration and Nationality Act
Sec. 274B; Civil Rights of Institutionalized Persons Act (CRIPA);
Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act Sec. 14141; Omnibus
Crime and Safe Streets Act; Voting Rights Act; Voting Accessibility for
the Elderly and Handicapped Act; Uniformed and Overseas Citizens
Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA); National Voter Registration Act (NVRA);
Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA), Title II; Help
America Vote Act (HAVA); Civil Rights Acts of 1870, 1957, 1960, & 1964.
PURPOSE(S) OF THE SYSTEM:
The system has two primary purposes: (1) to provide a clear and
seamless resource for members of the public to report to CRT suspected
violations of federal civil rights laws; and (2) to provide CRT with a
more efficient way to review and process reports and determine whether
the report may contain information that supports further inquiry by CRT
or pertains to ongoing investigations and legal proceedings on various
issues related to protecting civil rights. In addition, the system will
have the following functions:
a. Searching: Finding reports based on specific dates, keywords,
personal descriptions, section, contact information and more.
b. Grouping: Grouping reports based on similar data, such as--by
repeated writers, incident locations and offenses. Using advanced
programming to group common reports.
c. Analysis: Using contracted information technology services,
including Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) services. Any data processed
by such contracted information technology services will take place in a
secure environment that satisfies all Departmental privacy and security
standards.
d. Cross System Referencing: Take in reports from other DOJ
divisions. Refer reports to other agencies with more appropriate
jurisdiction and eventually track reports that develop into cases
within the Civil Rights Division's main case management tool.
e. Communication: Reply to and communicate with individual members
of the public on report status, additional resources, and enforcement.
Note: Items (b) & (c) are for the purpose of identifying
violation trends.
CATEGORIES OF INDIVIDUALS COVERED BY THE SYSTEM:
Categories of individuals about whom records are maintained in this
system may include individuals who are the subjects of investigations,
as well as victims, potential witnesses, representatives of individuals
and organizations, who have provided information about subjects
directed to or referred to CRT, as well as other individuals and
organizations referred to CRT in potential and actual cases and
matters.
CATEGORIES OF RECORDS IN THE SYSTEM:
Records in this system contain information provided by:
<bullet> Members of the public, including their contact
information: name, address, phone number and email address, together
with details about the witnessed violation.
<bullet> Memoranda, correspondence, studies, and reports related to
enforcement of civil rights laws and other various duties of CRT.
RECORD SOURCE CATEGORIES:
Records in this system are obtained from two sources. Primarily,
from members of the public who create a record through completion and
submission of the reporting form. Additionally, CRT employees will
create records by adding new reports from the public sent via non-web
sources (fax, mailed letters, emails, phone or other DOJ components and
federal agencies) as well as adding comments and updates to existing
reports.
ROUTINE USES OF RECORDS MAINTAINED IN THE SYSTEM, INCLUDING CATEGORIES
OF USERS AND THE PURPOSES OF SUCH USES:
In addition to those disclosures generally permitted under the
exceptions to the non-disclosure provisions of 5 U.S.C. 552a(b), when
otherwise compatible with the purposes for which the records were
collected or created, the records contained in this system of records
may be disclosed as a routine use pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 552a(b)(3) for
the purposes described below:
(1) In the event that a record indicates a violation or potential
violation of law--criminal, civil, or regulatory in nature--it may be
referred to the appropriate federal, state, local, foreign, or tribal
law enforcement authority, or to other agencies charged with the
responsibility for investigating or prosecuting such violation or
charged with enforcing or implementing such law.
(2) To a federal, state or local agency, or to an individual or
organization, if there is reason to believe that such agency,
individual or organization possesses information or has the expertise
in an official or technical capacity to assist in the administration of
a federally mandated program or the investigation or litigation of a
case or
[[Page 23119]]
matter, in order to analyze information relating to the investigation,
trial or hearing and the dissemination is reasonably necessary to
elicit such assistance, information or expert analysis, or to obtain
the cooperation of a prospective witness or informant.
(3) In connection with an appropriate proceeding before a court,
grand jury, administrative or regulatory proceeding or any other
adjudicative tribunal, when the Department of Justice determines that
the records are arguably relevant to the proceeding, or the adjudicator
determines the records to be relevant to the proceeding.
(4) To an actual or potential party to litigation or the party's
attorney (a) for the purpose of negotiation or discussion on such
matters as settlement of the case or matter or plea bargaining, (b) in
connection with formal or informal discovery proceedings or to issue a
Notice of Right to Sue letter upon request of the actual or potential
party or upon a decision not to initiate an investigation or
litigation.
(5) A record relating to a case or matter that has been referred
for investigation or for issuance of Notice of Right to Sue, may be
disseminated to the referring agency to notify such agency of the
status of the case or matter or of any determination that has been
made.
(6) A record relating to a person held in custody or probation
during a criminal proceeding or after conviction may be disseminated to
any agency or individual having responsibility for the maintenance,
supervision, or release of such person from custody or probation.
(7) A record may be disseminated to the United States Commission on
Civil Rights in response to its request and pursuant to 42 U.S.C.
1975(d).
(8) To contractors, grantees, experts, consultants, students, and
others performing or working on a contract, service, grant, cooperative
agreement, or other assignment for the Federal Government, when
necessary to accomplish an agency function related to this system of
records.
9) To mediators, negotiators or other persons engaged in efforts to
resolve or settle cases or matters pending in CRT as is necessary to
enable them to perform their assigned duties.
(10) To complainants and victims to the extent necessary to provide
such persons with information and explanations concerning the progress
or results of the investigation or case arising from the matters of
which the complainants or victims complained or of which they were a
victim.
(11) To Members of Congress or staff acting upon the Member's
behalf when the Member or staff requests the information on behalf of,
and at the request of, individual constituents who are subjects of CRT
records.
(12) To the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) and
to the General Services Administration (GSA) in records management
inspections conducted under the authority of 44 U.S.C. 2904 and 2906.
(13) To a former employee of the Department for purposes of:
responding to an official inquiry by a federal, state, or local
government entity or professional licensing authority, in accordance
with applicable Department regulations; or facilitating communications
with a former employee that may be necessary for personnel-related or
other official purposes where the Department requires information and/
or consultation assistance from the former employee regarding a matter
within that person's former area of responsibility.
(14) To any person or entity that CRT has reason to believe possess
information regarding a matter within the jurisdiction of CRT, to the
extent deemed to be necessary by CRT to elicit such information or
cooperation from the recipient for use in the performance of an
authorized activity.
(15) To designated officers and employees of state, local,
territorial, or tribal law enforcement or detention agencies, in
connection with the hiring or continued employment of an employee or
contractor, where the employee or contractor would occupy or occupies a
position of public trust as a law enforcement officer or detention
officer having direct contact with the public or with prisoners or
detainees, to the extent that the information is relevant and necessary
to the recipient agency's decision.
(16) To appropriate officials and employees of a federal agency or
entity that requires information relevant to a decision concerning the
hiring, appointment, or retention of an employee; the assignment,
detail, or deployment of an employee; the issuance, renewal,
suspension, or revocation of a security clearance; the execution of a
security or suitability investigation; the letting of a contract, or
the issuance of a grant or benefit.
(17) To appropriate agencies, entities, and persons when (1) the
Department suspects or has confirmed that there has been a breach of
the system of records; (2) the Department has determined that as a
result of the suspected or confirmed breach there is a risk of harm to
individuals, the Department (including its information systems,
programs, and operations), the Federal Government, or national
security; and (3) the disclosure made to such agencies, entities, and
persons is reasonably necessary to assist in connection with the
Department's efforts to respond to the suspected or confirmed breach or
to prevent, minimize, or remedy such harm.
(18) To another Federal agency or Federal entity, when the
Department determines that information from this system of records is
reasonably necessary to assist the recipient agency or entity in (1)
responding to a suspected or confirmed breach, or (2) preventing,
minimizing, or remedying the risk of harm to individuals, the recipient
agency or entity (including its information systems, programs, and
operations), the Federal Government, or national security, resulting
from a suspected or confirmed breach.
(19) To any Federal Office of the Inspector General, or similar
publicly identified official of a federal agency who has the official
mission and duty to detect and deter waste (the squandering of money or
resources even if not explicitly illegal), fraud (the attempt to obtain
something of value through willful misrepresentation), and abuse
(behaving improperly or unreasonably, or misusing one's position or
authority), as necessary for the purpose of identification and
elimination of such waste, fraud, and abuse related to Federal
programs, employees, contractors, grantees, inmates, or beneficiaries.
(20) To such recipients and under such circumstances and procedures
as are mandated by Federal statute or treaty.
POLICIES AND PRACTICES FOR STORAGE OF RECORDS:
CRT stores records in this system electronically. The data
collected by the web application is stored and managed in a secure
cloud-based database. The database is set up for automatic backup. Logs
created by the web app are automatically captured in <a href="http://Cloud.gov">Cloud.gov</a>. Static
assets for the app are stored in <a href="http://Cloud.gov">Cloud.gov</a>'s Amazon Web Services (AWS)
Simple Storage Service.
POLICIES AND PRACTICES FOR RETRIEVAL OF RECORDS:
CRT employees will access the records in this system via a search
engine using various identifiers such as name, location, system-
generated report number assigned at the time of submission, or other
keywords.
POLICIES AND PRACTICES FOR RETENTION AND DISPOSAL OF RECORDS:
Records are retained on the system while current and required for
official Government use. Final disposition is in
[[Page 23120]]
accordance with records retention schedules approved by NARA. If CRT
associates report with a specific matter or case, the official record
of the report becomes part of that matter or case file, subject to the
appropriate records retention schedule approved by NARA.
One Year (DAA-0060-2014-0004-0002)
Public Correspondence--No Response: Documents that do not include
any communications to which CRT replies to the submitter or refers to
another component/agency.
Disposition Method: Manually deleted from the system (any
accompanying hardcopy records destroyed).
Three Years (DAA-0060-2014-0004-0002)
Public Correspondence--Response Required: Documents that require a
routine response but lack evidential value and require no policy
decisions or administrative actions.
Disposition Method: Manually deleted from the system (any
accompanying hardcopy records destroyed).
Ten Years (DAA-0060-2017-0022-0002)
General DJ Number Temporary Files (GNT)--Correspondence or
materials that have not developed into a matter or case handled by the
Department of Justice, require few or no action and document only
routine administrative, statistical, or reporting actions for the DJ
Class. If a DOJ-handled case or matter later develops out of the
material, the section responsible for the records will open a formal DJ
numbered case and move (or copy) material from the database into the DJ
numbered case file. The official record of the report becomes part of
that matter or case file and is subject to the appropriate records
retention schedule approved by NARA for the DJ Class.
Disposition Method: Manually deleted from the system (any
accompanying hardcopy records destroyed).
Twenty-Five Years (DAA-0060-2017-0022-0001)
General DJ Number Permanent Files--(GNP)--Correspondence or
materials that document CRT's direction for litigation activities
within the DJ Class. Records with a GNP designation are permanent
records, and such records would not be stored in the system.
Disposition Method: CRT requests for a transfer of records to NARA.
Once NARA confirms legal possession of records, they are manually
deleted from the system where they are located (and accompanying
hardcopy records destroyed).
ADMINISTRATIVE, TECHNICAL, AND PHYSICAL SAFEGUARDS:
CRT safeguards records in this system according to applicable rules
and policies, including all applicable Department of Justice automated
systems security and access policies. Both the app and database are
stored and managed on a secure and encrypted cloud-based server. A
security risk assessment has been conducted and auditing procedures are
in place. CRT has imposed strict controls to minimize the risk of
compromising the information that is being stored. Access to the
records in this system is limited to those individuals who have a need
to know the information for the performance of their official duties
and who have appropriate clearances or permission. The delegated legal
duties and responsibilities of each section of CRT are described in
detail at the Division's website: <a href="https://www.justice.gov/crt">https://www.justice.gov/crt</a>. CRT
employees will access the database using a password-protected, cloud-
based interface. To protect the confidentiality of the data, the system
is integrated with the DOJ's single sign-on, so that all authenticated
views are compliant with DOJ account policy and provide PIV sign on
tracking.
If CRT needs to share a particular report with another DOJ
component or agency--for example, if CRT were coordinating with another
DOJ component on litigation where a report of a violation is relevant--
CRT personnel would duplicate and share a copy of the relevant report
with known personnel of that DOJ component, with all applicable
protections for personally identifiable information. As noted above,
the official record of the report would become part of the case or
matter file, and the report remaining in the system would be a
reference or convenience copy, destroyed when no longer needed.
RECORD ACCESS PROCEDURES:
Individuals seeking access to, and notification of, any record
contained in this system of records, or seeking to contest its content,
may submit a request in writing to CRT's Chief Privacy and Freedom of
Information Act Officer, Kilian Kagle, FOIA/PA Branch, Civil Rights
Division, 950 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20530,
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#a9eafbfd87efe6e0e8dbccd8dcccdadddae9dcdacdc6c387cec6df"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="d1928385ff979e9890a3b4a0a4b4a2a5a291a4a2b5bebbffb6bea7">[email protected]</span></a>, 202-514-4210. Even if neither the Privacy
Act nor the Judicial Redress Act provide a right of access, certain
records about you may be available under the Freedom of Information
Act.
When seeking records about yourself from this system of records or
any other CRT system of records, your request must conform with the
Privacy Act regulations set forth in 28 CFR 16 part D. You must first
verify your identity, meaning that you must provide your full name,
current address, and date and place of birth. You must sign your
request, and your signature must either be notarized or submitted under
28 U.S.C. 1746, a law that permits statements to be made under penalty
of perjury as a substitute for notarization. While no specific form is
required, you may obtain forms for this purpose from CRT's Chief
Privacy and Freedom of Information Act Officer (site/phone/email).
In addition, you should:
<bullet> Explain why you believe CRT would have information on you.
<bullet> Specify when you believe the records would have been
created.
<bullet> Provide any other information that will help the FOIA
staff determine how to search for the most responsive records.
If your request is seeking records pertaining to another living
individual, you must include a statement from that individual
certifying his/her agreement for you to access his/her records. Without
the above information, CRT may not be able to conduct an effective
search, and your request may be denied due to lack of specificity or
lack of compliance with applicable regulations.
CONTESTING RECORD PROCEDURES:
Individuals seeking to contest or amend records maintained in this
system of records must direct their requests to the address indicated
in the ``RECORD ACCESS PROCEDURES'' paragraph, above. All requests to
contest or amend records must be in writing and the envelope and letter
should be clearly marked ``Privacy Act Amendment Request.'' All
requests must state clearly and concisely what record is being
contested, the reasons for contesting it, and the proposed amendment to
the record. Some information may be exempt from the amendment
provisions as described in the ``EXEMPTIONS PROMULGATED FOR THE
SYSTEM'' paragraph, below. An individual who is the subject of a record
in this system of records may contest or amend those records that are
not exempt. A determination of whether a record is exempt from the
amendment provisions will be made after a request is received.
More information regarding the Department's procedures for amending
or contesting records in accordance with the Privacy Act can be found
at 28 CFR 16.46, ``Requests for Amendment or Correction of Records.''
[[Page 23121]]
NOTIFICATION PROCEDURES:
Individuals may be notified if a record in this system of records
pertains to them when the individuals request information utilizing the
same procedures as those identified in the ``RECORD ACCESS PROCEDURES''
paragraph, above.
EXEMPTIONS PROMULGATED FOR THE SYSTEM:
None.
HISTORY:
None.
[FR Doc. 2026-08317 Filed 4-28-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4410-13-P
</pre><script data-cfasync="false" src="/cdn-cgi/scripts/5c5dd728/cloudflare-static/email-decode.min.js"></script></body>
</html>Indexed from Federal Register on April 29, 2026.
This is legal information, not legal advice. Laws vary by jurisdiction and change frequently. Always verify current law with official sources and consult a licensed attorney in your jurisdiction for advice on your specific situation.