NCJ Number
206170
Journal
Law Enforcement Technology Volume: 31 Issue: 6 Dated: June 2004 Pages: 154,156-158,160,161
Date Published
June 2004
Length
6 pages
Annotation
This article describes the technology of a palm AFIS system using a full-hand scanner and discusses its use by the Indianapolis Police Department.
Abstract
Experts in forensic identification estimate that up to 50 percent of latent prints lifted from crime scenes come from parts of the hand other than the fingertip and as a result, approximately 30 percent of crimes go unsolved. Because there is more to print identification than fingerprints, the Indianapolis Police Department (IPD) converted to a palm AFIS system using a full-hand scanner in 2003. In order to be effective, a full-hand scanner should capture the interdigital, cup, thenar, hypothenar, carpal crease, and writer’s edge of the hand. One reason law enforcement agencies have been hesitant to invest in palm scanners in the recent past has been due to the fact that a small, flat image capture area is not effective at capturing the entire hand in one scan; instead multiple images must be taken and then stitched together. However, new technology utilized in the TouchPrint 3800 Full Hand Scanner used by the IPD is the first commercially available full-hand scanner with a unique, curved surface to capture a splice-free, continuous image of the entire hand. The machine is compact, rugged, user-friendly, and operates on Microsoft. It is equipped with a real-time image quality preview and it can work with any AFIS software. Once the system was installed in Indianapolis, the IPD populated the database with 15,000 conventionally inked palm cards and then inputted the new full-hand scans of new arrestees. The hand-scan procedure followed in Indianapolis is described. During a 6-month period, the new system identified 96 latent palmprints and 498 latent fingerprints. Three case examples are provided to illustrate how the new system identifies criminal suspects. Since the installation of the full-hand AFIS and scanner, the IPD has hosted law enforcement representatives from around the world who want to learn more about the capabilities of the system. Figures