Page 292 - Automated Fingerprint Identification Systems (AFIS)

APPENDIX B: INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR IDENTIFICATION 277

Issue S-4: Most of the issues and questions on the EFTS documented in last
year’s report have been resolved (see Appendix C). However, a few items are
still pending FBI resolution.

Recommendation: The IAI-AFIS Committee works with the FBI and NIST on
resolution.

6.3. NLETS
Issue N-1: The NLETS frame relay network is accessed via a State Network.
Some states and localities do not support TCP/IP (an Internet protocol),
needed for cross-jurisdictional AFIS searches.

Resolution: NLETS offered us the solution of a dial-up line into the central NLETS
facility in Arizona.

Recommendation A: If law enforcement wants to begin cross-jurisdictional use of
AFIS systems, they will have to work with NLETS to set up the transmission for long
term use. Note: A dial-up speed of 14.4 KBS is rather slow to transport images.

Recommendation B: It would be useful to publish a list of law enforcement ORI and
IP addresses on a secure network such as NLETS. This would allow a police
department to remotely search another AFIS by merely looking up the address
information and submitting a request.

Issue N-2: NLETS Board of Directors expressed an interest in seeing a policy
emerge on the use of cross-jurisdictional AFIS searches.

Recommendation: Initiate an IACP/NSA/IAI (International Association of Chiefs
of Police/National Sheriff’s Association) Policy meeting on the use of this new
capability.

7. CONCLUSION

Overall, testing was extremely successful and proved the IAI-AFIS Committee’s
theory that searches can be run across jurisdictional and AFIS vendor bound-
aries. It was also shown that simply because a vendor is FBI certified for certain
areas and considered standards-compliant doesn’t necessarily guarantee inter-
operability. The FBI’s Electronic Fingerprint Transmission Specification (EFTS)