Automated Fingerprint Identification System

The A.F.I.S., or Automated Fingerprint Identification System, Unit is comprised of two officers and two civilians who are fingerprint examiners. A.F.I.S. Unit personnel receive latent fingerprints recovered at crime scenes by Evidence Technicians. They first process these fingerprints, which includes photographing, enlarging, and tracing them, before entering them into the A.F.I.S. computer system. The computer then searches for a match. If a match is not found, the fingerprint is placed into the A.F.I.S. Unsolved Latent Database, where the computer will periodically search for a match from future entries. The A.F.I.S. Unit is instrumental in solving many crimes where initially there are no suspects.