Page 143 - Automated Fingerprint Identification Systems (AFIS)

128 AUTOMATED FINGERPRINT IDENTIFICATION SYSTEMS

if the equipment is not maintained and calibrated as recommended by the
manufacturer. Glass platens can become dirty or scratched, resulting in less-
than-ideal digital images. Self-calibrating scanners can lose clarity as covers
become torn, allowing spurious lighting onto a tenprint card that is being
scanned. The computers that run the coder and matcher software have a
limited life span and have to be replaced at scheduled intervals. Monitors can
develop quirks that result in an inferior image display. The job of keeping an
AFIS system well maintained is not insignificant. If proper maintenance is not
performed, it can lead to equipment failures that are expensive and time-
consuming to fix.

6.1.2.5 Training
All of the marvelous opportunities for improved identification processing are
dependent on a staff that understands the system. The staff not only must know
the characteristics of the system, but also must be able to exploit the existing
performance and plan for improved services.
If an AFIS system is being purchased for the first time and the staff who will
be using it have never before seen an AFIS system in operation, it might be
useful to first arrange a demonstration. Few people buy a car without first taking
a test drive; even fewer do so without having a driver’s license. The same prin-
cipals apply to buying an AFIS system: demonstrations and staff training should
precede the purchase and implementation. Important questions to ask are who
should be trained, what functions should they be trained in, and who will do
the training. AFIS systems, for all their marvelous capacities, are entirely depen-
dent on people. People program the computers, they enter the data and
images, and in most cases make the verifications.
The staff who handled the old computer system operations will have to be
trained in the computer requirements of the new AFIS system. Will the AFIS
interface with an existing Computerized Criminal History (CCH) file to
produce a pedigree or rap sheet in forensic applications? Will the AFIS vendor
maintain the system and provide 24/7 uptime? Will responsibilities for AFIS be
split between the vendor and the in-house staff? In one common arrangement,
the in-house staff maintains the CCH, the vendor maintains the AFIS, and
together they develop an interface between the two.

6.1.3 AFIS OPPORTUNITIES

The advances in AFIS that have been made in the past 10 years will probably
seem old-fashioned when compared with the new AFIS opportunities.