Page 147 - Automated Fingerprint Identification Systems (AFIS)

132 AUTOMATED FINGERPRINT IDENTIFICATION SYSTEMS

This report fulfills the N-FACS mission by using various analytical studies and tests to
assess the feasibility of implementing an alternative national flat fingerprint-based
identification service within the FBI’s IAFIS. All FBI testing conducted in support of
the N-FACS was executed within the FBI’s IAFIS or a similar Non-Operational
Environment. The new four-plain-impression live-scan systems were evaluated in an
operational setting with promising results. The N-FACS test results demonstrated
the current capability to accept flat fingerprint submissions is feasible, but may
adversely impact search accuracy, system processing, and image retention. The user
community and the FBI should weigh the impact carefully.
Currently, rolled live-scan technology cannot capture all ten fingers expeditiously.
Should rolled live-scan technology mature to such a capability, the FBI’s CJIS
Division views this additional data available from rolled fingerprints to be superior to
the capabilities provided by flat-fingerprint impressions. Decisions must be made
whether to pursue the new capability based on current assumptions or to explore
changes to the IAFIS that would improve reliability and eliminate any risk of
processing degradation.

Searching plain impressions when rolled impressions are not available is a
better alternative than not searching at all. However, as is evident from the
summary, a move away from the “gold standard” of ten rolled images may offer
some opportunity, but ten rolled images remains the preferred vehicle.

6.1.4 AFIS THREATS
With all the positive aspects of AFIS in both forensic and civil applications, it
may be difficult to consider possible threats, but threats to AFIS do indeed exist.
Some of these threats are readily apparent, while others are not so obvious.
One obvious threat is the effect of the interruption of service, particularly in
forensic applications. Systems that operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week are
designed to operate nonstop because the demand is nonstop. The need for
redundancy is readily apparent, as is the need for backup, restore, and recov-
ery procedures and practices. If an AFIS is taken out of service because of a
natural or man-made disaster, how long will it take before some level of func-
tionality can be restored? Simply having off-site backups for the databases is not
sufficient. A fire in the building housing the AFIS may damage sensitive com-
puters. Power may be interrupted for minutes or hours during a storm or di-
saster. The experience of preparation for the year 2000 (Y2K) problem made
many agencies re-think their backup, recovery, and restore strategies. Those
strategies should be continually reexamined.
The new AFIS are becoming more easy to use, but correspondingly more
complex in their operation. On-site customization is being replaced by changes