Fingerprinting of Suspects Moves into New Era

Law enforcement agencies across the state are getting the old ink-and-paper method of fingerprinting suspects replaced with a computer-based “LiveScan” fingerprinting system. Captain John Wheeler is with the Cole County Sheriff’s department, one of 125 jurisdictions across the state to get federal Homeland Security money to buy the new systems. He says the biggest problem with the old system is that if the prints weren’t done exactly right or the paperwork had a small problem, the file would get kicked back to the arresting agency. Wheeler says the new LiveScan fingerprinting system won’t allow an officer to move on with sending those prints instantly into the Highway Patrol’s central repository until the prints and paperwork are done exactly right. He says while that might take a little longer at the original booking time, it won’t have to be repeated later when law enforcement possibly doesn’t have access to that suspect any more.