Page 156 - Automated Fingerprint Identification Systems (AFIS)

CURRENT ISSUES 141

to create the Western Identification Network (WIN), eventually composed of
nine states, six federal agencies, and one locality. In 1988, they first met to create
an AFIS system that would work across the member states. By 1989, Alaska,
California, Idaho, Oregon, Nevada, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming had all
appropriated money to pay for the new system. Soon after, the main AFIS
was installed in Sacramento, California, with remote locations in Cheyenne,
Salt Lake City, Boise, Carson City, Salem, and Portland. Alaska, California, and
Washington already had their own AFIS system, and these existing systems were
integrated with the main system, creating the first WIN in 1990. Integrating
these systems boosted the fingerprint database from about 900,000 to over 14
million searchable records.
With WIN operational, more localities and federal agencies became involved.
By 1992, Helena, Montana, the Immigration and Naturalization Service, the
Postal Inspection Service, and the Secret Service all joined WIN. By the end of
the 1990s, they were joined by the Internal Review Service, the FBI, the Drug
Enforcement Agency, and the Alaska Department of Public Safety.
In 1998, WINPHO (for WIN-Photo) was created, which allowed mug shot
and some Department of Motor Vehicles photos to be accessed in addition to
an AFIS record. Members can access photo information over a secure Internet
connection, using a standard World Wide Web browser; no specialized hard-
ware or software is required. Ongoing funding for WIN is provided by user fees,
charged on a cost-recovery basis. Any income is returned to the operation.

6.4.2 MULTIPLE NATIONS SHARING AFIS SYSTEMS: EURODAC
Eurodac got its start in 1991 as part of the Dublin Convention. A method was
needed for members of the soon-to-be-created European Union (see Fig. 6.6)
to track who was seeking asylum and where, and perhaps more importantly, to
track asylum seekers who applied first in one country, then in another, and so
on. Since the easiest way to track these individuals is via fingerprints, a common
fingerprint transmission method had to be developed. By 1998, the scope of
Eurodac had changed somewhat. Member states want to track not only asylum
seekers, but also others who may have entered a country illegally. This would
allow countries to quickly determine who was legitimately applying for asylum
and who was not. Eurodac went live on January 15, 2003.
Eurodac is composed of a central unit that has a centralized database for
comparing fingerprints. Information can be sent electronically between the
member states and the database, but it can also be sent by physical means if
necessary. Along with fingerprint images, data stored includes the country of
origin, place and date of asylum application, gender, and a reference number.
This data is collected for anyone over 14 years old, and is then sent directly to