AFIS is an acronym for Automated Fingerprint Identification System. AFIS is a computerized system for encoding, storing, searching and matching fingerprint images.

The second century B.C. marked the first use of fingerprints for positive identification when Chinese rulers used their thumb prints to seal important documents. Those in government were able to recognize instantly the distinctive imprint of various leaders and ensure the authenticity of information.

Today, society still recognizes that people’s fingerprints hold undeniable, unchangeable evidence of their identity. However, the fingerprint identification process has naturally broadened to a much greater scale. While the eye is still an important part of fingerprint analysis, the Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS) has taken over the electronic storage, searching and matching capabilities. An AFIS assists in providing Identification Technicians and Forensic Scientists a tool by which individuals may be identified more quickly and efficiently. From fingerprints left on a banana peel, to cigarette butts, to window sills, a fingerprint is often the most important and only piece of evidence to tie a suspect to the scene of a crime. To date, criminal investigators around the world have solved thousands of crimes from burglary to murder with the help of a fingerprint.

AFIS plays a key role in these investigations, virtually replacing traditional manual methods of fingerprint matching and classification. The automated systems are driven by sophisticated image processing algorithms that exact fingerprint characteristics for comparison against data bases of fingerprint repositories. The main computer processors and mass storage devices are located in Computer Operations at the Georgia Crime Information Center (GCIC) in Atlanta, where high speed card readers and workstations are located.

The AFIS database consists of both criminal and applicant fingerprint images. GCIC, which is the central repository for all fingerprint cards throughout the State of Georgia, receives approximately 15,000 fingerprint cards per month from State, local and private agencies. Currently the AFIS database has 1.7 million sets of prints or 17 million fingers.

The search capabilities of the AFIS is an invaluable tool to law enforcement field personnel. A "cold" search of the entire AFIS database with no demographic information or search parameters would take approximately 48 minutes. Most routine searches take fractions of a second to a couple of minutes. This same search done manually prior to AFIS could take a technician 50 years to complete.

AFIS searches can be done for latent crime scene prints, unknown deceased subjects, or personal positive identification. Since the AFIS was installed in Georgia, it has helped to match fingerprints of over 100 previously unsolved cases in the state.

When an AFIS search is done and a positive "hit" is made, a list of possible candidates is created. Final verification for latent searches will always be made by a certified Latent Print Examiner in a manual side by side comparison and by a GBI Identification Technician for tenprint verification.

Fingerprint checks which reveal no "hits" can be stored in an unsolved latent database for future checks. Any of these checks can be done even with no suspects. Along with the benefits of AFIS comes the demand for support technology. An example of such technology is the Live-Scan Fingerprint System which can replace traditional, manual ink fingerprint methods. A trained fingerprint person simply types in the demographic information, and then the fingerprinter rolls each finger of the subject being printed on a glass plated scanner. The image then appears on screen which allows for closer inspection and a retake of any prints if necessary. When complete, the fingerprints can be printed on a card or sent directly to the GCIC.

Live-Scan Systems have been utilized at the Fulton County Jail since 1995. Electronic transmission of fingerprint records from the Fulton County Jail to GCIC/NCIC (National Crime Information Center) began in 1998. During the year 1999, the Fulton County Jail transmitted electronically 13,191 fingerprint records to GCIC/NCIC. In addition to these transmissions, which provide positive identification of each offender, the Fulton County Jail searched 1,058 offenders through the AFIS system and provided positive identification on 486 offenders who were attempting to use false names, as they were either attempting to conceal this new arrest to State Probation and/or Parole Departments, or they were wanted persons (fugitives).

As the AFIS field continues to progress at a rapid pace, we are constantly exploring ways to enhance and expand our system. This technology will be a key component in 21st century law enforcement.