United States Government Publishing Office publisher pbl distributor dst United States Government Accountability Office author aut Government Organization text government publication eng GAOREPORTS Legislative Agency Publications gao legislative 2010-08-12 U.S. Government Printing Office 2004-01-27 monographic deposited born digital 37 p. GA 1.13:GAO-04-260 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-GAO-04-260 P0b002ee1803920ec f:d04260 DGPO 2010-08-12 2011-03-28 GAOREPORTS-GAO-04-260 machine generated eng fdlp REPORT GAOREPORTS-GAO-04-260 GAO-04-260 Crimes or offenses Criminals Law enforcement Law enforcement agencies Law enforcement information systems Strategic planning Identity verification FBI Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System Other Written Product A09156

By positively confirming identifications and linking relevant records of arrests and prosecutions, fingerprint analysis provides a basis for making fundamental criminal justice decisions regarding detention, charging, bail, and sentencing. In 1999, the FBI implemented the Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System (IAFIS)--a computerized system for storing, comparing, and exchanging fingerprint data in a digital format. The FBI's goal under IAFIS is to ultimately achieve paperless processing and to provide a response within 2 hours to users who submit criminal fingerprints electronically. Maximizing the benefits of rapid responses under IAFIS depends largely on how quickly criminal fingerprints are submitted by local and state law enforcement agencies. Concerns have been raised that, after arrests are made by some local or state law enforcement agencies, periods of up to 6 months may elapse before the criminal fingerprints are submitted for entry into IAFIS. GAO examined (1) the importance of IAFIS processing to local and state law enforcement agencies, (2) the progress these agencies have made toward the goal of paperless fingerprint processing, and (3) efforts being made to improve the timeliness of criminal fingerprint submissions. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-GAO-04-260/html/GAOREPORTS-GAO-04-260.htm https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-GAO-04-260/pdf/GAOREPORTS-GAO-04-260.pdf GAO-04-260 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-GAO-04-260 Other Written Product GAO-04-260; Law Enforcement: Information on Timeliness of Criminal Fingerprint Submissions to the FBI; Crimes or offenses Criminals Law enforcement Law enforcement agencies Law enforcement information systems Strategic planning Identity verification FBI Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System Title 42 Section 14071 Title 42 Section 5119 42 U.S.C. 14071 42 U.S.C. 5119