U.S. Shares Fingerprint Database
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department is taking advantage of the Department of Homeland Security and the Justice Department’s move to provide local law-enforcement agencies with faster access to electronic fingerprint databases.
Suspects were often freed in the past without police knowing whether they were wanted for other crimes because of the time required to conduct background checks.
The new federal initiative has helped officers to more quickly identify illegal immigrants.
The Ventura County Sheriff’s Department, which is not benefiting from the faster access, reportedly plans to introduce a field system in roughly a year that will allow patrolling officers to conduct quick background checks.
U.S. officials hope to grant all law-enforcement agencies in the nation the opportunity to expedite background checks within two years.
Abstracted by the National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center (NLECTC) from the Ventura County Star (CA); 11/26/06; Scheibe, John.
