What should a "no record" response from DCIN/NCIC not be interpreted as?

A "no record" response from DCIN/NCIC should not be interpreted as the subject does not have a criminal record because the lack of a record in these databases does not guarantee that the individual has no criminal history. There could be various reasons for this result, such as the individual’s crimes not being reported to these systems, the records being sealed or expunged, or simply that the databases do not contain comprehensive information on every individual's criminal activity. Therefore, a "no record" response means that there was no matching entry found in the queried system at that moment, but it does not conclusively state anything definitive about the individual's criminal history.

The implication here is critical in law enforcement work; officers must understand that just because a system shows "no record" does not mean that the individual has not engaged in any criminal behavior in the past.