Fingerprint Tools To Help Authorities Spot Bogus Identifications
New Jersey officials announced that all of the state’s jails will now be equipped with a computer system that scans fingerprints and connects them to a nationwide criminal database.
The system will speed up the process of identifying criminals, eliminate paperwork, and enable officers to spend more time on patrol.
The new technology allows officers to identify a criminal or suspect in minutes, rather than seven to 14 days, and it links criminals who use false names or other identifications. State officials say about 40 percent of all New Jersey inmates have four or five aliases.
The integration of the new system will be funded by $400,000 in federal and state grants. “You only have to enter the information once, it saves time and reduces data entry errors,” says Stan Repko, director of policy and planning at the Department of Corrections.
Abstracted by the National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center(NLECTC) from the Associated Press (04/25/03).