Live-Scan Fingerprinting Is Fast And Accurate

By Sherry Gross


Since 1858 it has been possible to identify people based on an imprinted image of fingertip skin whorls. This procedure is accomplished by covering the end of a digit with ink from a pad, then carefully rolling that finger on a special piece of paper, creating a copy of the skin pattern. Success may require repeated attempts, and ink-stains are a common hazard. Live-scan fingerprinting increases accuracy, while eliminating the smudges.

Few individuals have never had their prints copied at some point during their lives, and many people express concerns about easy government and corporate access to their personal identity and linked information. While any system carries the potential for abuse, the digital process is the next logical step in upgrading current, existing databases, and making them more quickly accessible when circumstances require a quick solution.

Although they sound new, digital identification methods have existed for years. Biometrics, or the instant analysis of personal physical appearance, is already available to law enforcement agencies, and is vital to many advanced security setups. Eye features are compared during retinal scans, and ears are also being used similarly. Computerized vocal recording analysis is a necessary tool, and DNA is a well-known personal marker.

Although most people do not become career criminals, there are instances where taking prints is absolutely necessary. Any person who has applied for a government job, even as a part-time census worker, has faced a background check. Other job categories that absolutely require a similar investigation before hiring will even be considered include teachers, security workers, pilots, pharmacists, and many more.

In this era of big data, it is easy to fear a connected database containing universal personal identifiers linked to crimes, but a transparent, universally accessible system does not yet exist on a practical level. Each day there are multiple-thousands of requests, primarily because privacy laws prevent open sharing of confidential prints. Any time a criminal history is necessary, a new live scan must be performed and analyzed.

IAFIS, or the Integrated Automated Fingerprint System, contains nearly 50 million entries in the current data-bank. It processes requests and retrieves linked information nationwide in about thirty minutes. It is not exclusively used to check on criminal activity, but also plays a key role in processing applications for social services, licenses, and other official documents. The device doing all that work resembles small copy machine.

It is not possible simply to buy one of these used devices on the Internet to surreptitiously gain information. Most states today require approved purchases through selected vendors, and any unauthorized requests or transmissions are blocked. System components commonly include a palm and print scanner, specialized software for computer operations, a secure network, and trained operators.

Most people would rather not wait three to eight weeks for a standard inked application to process. Using digital scanning, wait times are greatly reduced. There are far fewer errors, and those that exist are detected and corrected faster. Getting printed digitally takes about three minutes, and there is no residual ink mess. There are no long waiting lines to get printed, and most results are returned within two days.




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