§The
Automated Fingerprint Identification System - a computer system for storing and retrieving
fingerprints
§Began in the
early 1970’s to:
§Search large
files for a set of prints taken from an individual
§Compare a
single print, usually a latent print developed from a crime scene
§By the 1990’s most large
jurisdictions had their own system
in place. The problem - a person’s
fingerprints may be in one
AFIS but not in others
§IAFIS—the FBI’s Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification system which is a national database of
all 10-print cards from all
over the country