Page 22 - Automated Fingerprint Identification Systems (AFIS)

INTRODUCTION 7

the U.S. population at just less than 300 million, that means that one in every
six residents of the United States has a record on an AFIS database. That is a
lot of records that must be maintained to accurately and reliably produce search
results.
AFIS systems were developed as a result of the government’s need for prompt
accurate identification and industry’s response to that need. The response,
however, was not uniform, because standards did not exist in the early years of
AFIS. Many large identification bureaus that pioneered the development of
AFIS systems found that some of their services were not interchangeable with
other AFIS systems, leading to challenges that are still being addressed today.
The AFIS process might have never reached its current level of development
had not the federal government initiated two important programs that
advanced AFIS systems to their current level. First, the adoption of national
transmission standards for communication with the FBI provided a “single sheet
of music” to sing from. Second, a massive federal funding program for state
identification bureaus through the National Criminal History Improvement
Program (NCHIP) paid for that “sheet of music” and the band that plays it. In
addition, the introduction and widespread use of computers in the 1980s found
a direct application in the field of identification. The infusion of millions of
federal dollars, primarily through the NCHIP, combined with a federal pres-
ence in the development of standards for transmissions and image capture
produced a strong formula for success.
The largest AFIS system in the United States is the Integrated Automated
Fingerprint Identification System (IAFIS), operated by the Criminal Justice
Information Services (CJIS) division of the FBI. The creation of IAFIS became
the impetus for new communication and identification strategies. The criminal
history database of the FBI found a new home when it moved from the J. Edgar
Hoover building in Washington, DC, to Clarksburg, West Virginia. IAFIS is the
national linchpin to which identification bureaus are connected. IAFIS is also
the conduit for states to obtain information from other state criminal history
and wanted files.
The development of AFIS systems has not been restricted to the United
States. Several countries in Central America, the Middle East, Asia, and Africa
require that all their adult citizens be fingerprinted, and AFIS systems are used
to confirm these identifications. In these countries, AFIS may play a role in
determining eligibility for government benefits. It can also be used to ensure
that persons do not exceed their lawful allocation of goods such as social ser-
vices benefits and services such as voting.
AFIS systems are also used in military applications. Without obvious clues
such as a military uniform, it can be increasingly difficult to tell friend from
foe, e.g., distinguishing a civilian trying to protect a family in a war zone from