Municipal and county law enforcement agencies in the D.C. metro area are contributing to a central database that will allow them to better share information.

About 65 agencies in the National Capital Region are compiling their files, from traffic stops to field interviews, into the database, the Law Enforcement Information Exchange, or LInX.

The D.C., Montgomery, Prince George’s, Fairfax, Alexandria and Prince William police departments are included, as are the Virginia State Police. Localities from Frederick, Md., to Caroline County, Va., have signed on to share reports.

“It’s a very powerful tool,” said Doug Scott, police chief of Arlington. “This is a groundbreaking movement for law enforcement.”

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LlnX is managed by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service. The ultimate goal of the project, being implemented by the departments of Justice and Homeland Security, is to establish nationwide file sharing.

Currently, the database has about 6 million mug shots and 14 million criminal records.

The 9-11 Commission Report, released by Congress, cited poor sharing of information among local, regional, state and federal law enforcement agencies in its evaluation of factors contributing to the catastrophe.

Three of the Sept. 11 terrorists came into contact with law enforcement in the D.C. region, said Michael Dorsey, special agent in charge of Llnx in Washington. For example, Hani Hanjour, who was on the plane that flew into the Pentagon, was stopped for a traffic violation in Arlington, Dorsey added.

The database will not include intelligence reports or grand jury material. Only unclassified data will be shared, Dorsey said.

By summer, he said, the National Capital Region should be linked with the Baltimore, Richmond, Va., and Hampton Roads, Va., areas.

Federal agencies are not yet fully contributing to the database.

Steve Sampson, Loudoun County sheriff, said until this point, all of his department’s information was “in-house” except for reports on gang activity that he shared with neighboring counties.

“Whenever you can reach into another jurisdiction for info, it’s always good,” Sampson said.

Within the next 30 days, Loudoun’s files should be online, he told The Examiner.

“It’s amazing what comes out of a traffic stop,” Sampson said. “Maybe someone who is stopped is suspicious this week was the same person stopped for being suspicious last week in another county. We can put it all together now.”