Page 19 - Automated Fingerprint Identification Systems (AFIS)

4 AUTOMATED FINGERPRINT IDENTIFICATION SYSTEMS

hardware for analysis, making it relatively inexpensive on a per search level.
This biometric, of course, is the fingerprint.
Compared to other biometrics, fingerprints are relatively inexpensive to
capture. Making an identification of a print from a crime scene may not even
require the use of a computerized identification system; the examiner may rely
instead on the images from a tenprint card, the latent print, and the expertise
of the examiner. Fingerprinting does not require a laboratory for analysis, and
fingerprints remain relatively constant over time, with the exception of injury.
Each person has ten fingers, ten unique tokens tied to his or her identity.
No two fingerprints have ever been found to be identical. The finger images
may be scarred or cut, but can still contain enough information to link the
image with the owner. The friction ridges on each person’s palms also provide
unique images.
Every day millions of identifications are made using fingerprint images. Each
person arrested and charged with a felony, as well as many misdemeanants, are
fingerprinted and have their criminal history checked. Officials want to know
if people in custody have been truthful when asked for their name and back-
ground. They want to know similar information for job applicants. The huge
numbers of these searches, the speed with which the identifications are com-
pleted and returned to the inquiring agency, and their accuracy verges on the
unbelievable. This accomplishment would not be possible without fast com-
puters, sophisticated software, and dedicated and talented people, and these
searches would not be possible without Automated Fingerprint Identification
Systems, or AFIS.

1.3 WHAT IS AFIS?

This book describes the AFIS process in summary and in detail. The following
is a brief explanation of the four components of its name. The automation (A)
process has eliminated the need for a print classifier to locate fingerprint cards
from a file and compare two physical cards. The searchable database is com-
posed of fingerprint (F) images collected from individuals either by using fin-
gerprint cards or by electronic capture using a device similar to a scanner. The
identification (I) aspect occurs when the person is fingerprinted, and the result-
ing images are searched against the database of fingerprint images on a local,
state, or national database. It is considered a system (S) because it uses com-
puters and software and can interact with subsystems and other identification
systems, including other AFIS systems.
AFIS applications exist in almost every instance in which a finger image is
rolled onto a fingerprint card. AFIS systems are the primary identification tool
for virtually every law enforcement agency in the United States and the rest of