Forensics

New Remote Fingerprint Scanning Application

A new mobile fingerprint scanning application for local and state law enforcement officers instantly searches state and national databases for a positive identification. The technology has been deployed by the US State Bureau of Investigation.

The process is simple. A suspect places his or her finger on a small portable device, about the size of a smartphone and the fingerprints become digitized and sent to the SBI’s Statewide Automated Fingerprint Identification System and to the FBI for a search of their databases for any matches. Once the fingerprint image is received at the SBI, the image is compared against the SBI’s entire biometric database and sent to the FBI for a search of the Repository of Individuals of Special Concern, a combination of many different FBI databases that house sensitive law enforcement information.

According to bladenjournal.com, the Rapid ID System allows law enforcement officers to capture fingerprints remotely using the mobile fingerprint scanner. An officer quickly receives the results of a search on the handheld device.