Page 28 - Automated Fingerprint Identification Systems (AFIS)

INTRODUCTION 13

Federal agencies that undertake background investigations begin with fin-
gerprints, because with the fingerprint match, there is nearly absolute confir-
1
mation that the person is the same as the one about whom the information is
provided. The agencies will check the federal database, IAFIS, or perhaps a state
database to determine if there is a criminal history for the person. Once the
identity of the person can be confirmed, the “leg work” can begin in earnest
with phone calls and visits to confirm or refute the information.

1.7 FROM PAPER TO PAPERLESS

1.7.1 PAPER: THE FINGERPRINT CARD
In the pre-AFIS days, the inked fingerprint card was the physical center of the
identification process. These cards, made of thick paper stock, would be
handled by many people throughout the identification process. It would first
be touched by the booking officer, then by the person who was fingerprinted,
and then sent through the mail. Classifiers would examine the cards, write
the classification information, and send it to the files. Clerks would file the
cards, retrieve the cards for comparison, and return the cards to their proper
location. The cards could not be replaced. If a card was misfiled, it was
effectively lost.
The card was printed to meet standard specifications and so was uniform in
size and layout. As shown in the card pictured in Figure 1.2, there was a space
at the top of the card for arrest and biographical information. The center of
the card has a row of five boxes for each of the fingers of the right hand, and
immediately below are five more boxes for the fingers of the left hand. At the
bottom, there are four boxes for simultaneous impressions of the right hand
fingers, then right thumb. This is repeated for the left hand.
In the past, the identification process was based on the inked tenprint card.
The subject was fingerprinted with special ink and the images captured onto
this card. The card was mailed to the state identification agency, where the
images would be classified and the identification search completed. The card
and any subsequent cards would be kept in file cabinets, perhaps thousands of
file cabinets.

1.7.2 PAPERLESS: LIVESCAN

AFIS systems are not limited to inked fingerprint cards for identification,
however. In many areas, the booking officer, instead of using ink and a

1 The term “nearly absolute confirmation” is used because few things in life are absolute. There
are other factors that could affect the absoluteness, such as errors introduced through human inter-
vention, but that is a topic for another chapter.