Fact-checked by Grok 2 weeks ago

Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System

The Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System (IAFIS) was a national biometric database and automated search platform developed and operated by the (FBI) from July 1999 until its phased replacement by the Next Generation Identification (NGI) system in the . IAFIS maintained the world's largest repository of digitized fingerprint records, criminal histories, and associated biometric data, including facial images, scars, marks, and tattoos submitted with , enabling electronic storage, rapid searching, and matching for over 80,000 local, state, federal, and international law enforcement users. By automating what had previously been a manual, labor-intensive process often taking weeks or months, IAFIS delivered identification results in minutes, facilitating background checks, processing, and latent print analysis to support criminal investigations and . The system's interoperability with state repositories and federal partners enhanced data sharing and accuracy, contributing to millions of identifications annually while establishing standards for electronic fingerprint transmission developed in collaboration with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).

History

Origins and Development

The (FBI) established its Identification Division on July 1, 1924, consolidating approximately 810,000 fingerprint cards from federal prisons and the National Bureau of Criminal Identification, marking the formal beginning of centralized fingerprint records management in the United States. Initially reliant on manual classification using the Henry system, the process handled growing volumes through physical card files, but by the 1980s, backlogs had extended response times to about one month per check, prompting exploration of . Early experiments in the 1970s tested automated fingerprint matching, while state-level systems in the mid-1980s, such as Georgia's 1987 implementation, demonstrated feasibility but highlighted incompatibilities among vendors. Development of the Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System (IAFIS) accelerated in the early 1990s amid recommendations from the (NCIC) Advisory Policy Board in 1989 for modernizing the Identification Division, culminating in a 1990 revitalization report. Between 1990 and 1992, FBI-led workshops developed national fingerprint data standards, formally approved in November 1993 to enable . In May 1994, the FBI conducted a "fly-off" competition, awarding $10 million grants to , TRW, and for prototype testing; secured the $109 million contract for the core automated fingerprint identification segment in January 1996. IAFIS integrated prior components like the NCIC's and the Identification Division Automated System, addressing fragmentation through digitized ten-print and latent print processing. Key milestones included the operational launch of the Stand-Alone Image Storage and Retrieval System on October 6, 1997, and a pilot electronic transmission by the on August 23, 1995, via live-scan technology over the Criminal Justice Information Services Wide-Area Network. The $640 million project, the U.S. Department of Justice's largest at the time, overcame challenges like vendor standardization and massive of legacy cards, achieving initial operational capacity in July 1999. This development shifted the FBI from manual to fully automated national identification, supporting up to 62,000 daily ten-print searches.

Deployment and Early Operations

The Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System (IAFIS) became operational on July 28, 1999, under the management of the 's (FBI) Information Services (CJIS) Division in . This deployment integrated , criminal history record management, and image storage functionalities into a single national platform, replacing fragmented manual and semi-automated processes that had previously limited . The system's development and rollout cost approximately $640 million, reflecting investments in hardware, software, and nationwide connectivity to support federal, state, and local . Early operations focused on enabling electronic fingerprint submissions from remote sites, with the FBI pioneering large-scale of this capability to handle growing volumes of tenprint records. Upon activation, IAFIS processed search requests at speeds far exceeding prior systems, achieving machine matching accuracy rates around 92 percent for automated comparisons, which facilitated quicker identifications in criminal investigations and background checks. By late 1999, the platform had incorporated millions of digitized records, contributing to the FBI's milestone of identifying its one-millionth submission overall. Initial interoperability efforts began shortly after, including preliminary linkages with the Department of Justice's systems by March 2000, laying groundwork for cross-agency such as with the Department of Homeland Security's IDENT database. Despite these advances, early performance revealed limitations inherent to the underlying , which dated back approximately 12 years at deployment, including constraints on latent print matching efficiency and overall system flexibility under surging demand. The system operated reliably for core tenprint identifications but prompted ongoing enhancements to address evolving threats, with reject rates on submissions remaining a monitored metric in the initial years. Through 2000–2001, adoption expanded as state and local agencies integrated with IAFIS, reducing manual processing backlogs and standardizing national fingerprint exchanges, though full utilization required upgrades to submission hardware and training protocols.

Technical Architecture

Core Components and Infrastructure

The Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System (IAFIS) comprises three primary integrated segments that form its core operational framework: the Identification Tasking and Networking () segment, the System (AFIS) segment, and the (III) segment. The ITN segment functions as the central manager, receiving incoming transactions from authorized agencies and routing them to the appropriate segments for processing, thereby coordinating the system's overall tasking and networking activities. The AFIS segment, developed by and operational since 1999, handles the automated classification, encoding, searching, and matching of data against the national repository, enabling rapid tenprint and latent print identifications. The III segment maintains and provides access to the National Fingerprint File and criminal history records, facilitating name-based checks and queries integrated with results. IAFIS infrastructure is centralized at the FBI's Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) Division in , which houses the system's mainframe computers, storage arrays, and processing capabilities designed to handle high-volume electronic submissions. The system leverages the CJIS (), a dedicated infrastructure, to connect federal, state, and local agencies for secure, real-time transmission of images and responses, supporting electronic live-scan captures and eliminating traditional ink-based cards. This setup enables IAFIS to process up to 62,000 tenprint searches daily, with electronic storage of images, photographs, and associated criminal history data for over 70 million subjects by the early . Additional components include the Electronic Fingerprint Image Printout Provider (EFIPP) for generating responses and integration with name check functionalities, ensuring comprehensive identification services across and non-criminal applications. The architecture emphasizes scalability and reliability, with redundant systems to maintain 99.9% uptime for mission-critical law enforcement operations.

Fingerprint Acquisition and Processing

Fingerprint acquisition for the Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System (IAFIS) relies on ten-print submissions, capturing rolled and impressions of all ten fingers from individuals during criminal arrests, civil background checks, or other identifications. These impressions are obtained using live-scan devices at local or authorized agencies, which digitize the friction ridge patterns directly without traditional and cards. Captured images must meet the FBI's IAFIS Image Quality Specification (IQS), specifying a minimum of 500 pixels per inch and 8-bit depth to ensure sufficient detail for automated analysis. To optimize storage and transmission, acquired fingerprint images undergo compression using the Wavelet Scalar Quantization (WSQ) standard, achieving archival-quality results at ratios of approximately 15:1 while preserving minutiae and ridge details essential for matching. Submissions comply with the Electronic Fingerprint Transmission Specification (EFTS), enabling paperless electronic transfer from local processors to state or federal intermediaries before reaching IAFIS. Local agencies perform initial quality checks and segmentation to isolate individual finger impressions prior to forwarding. In IAFIS, processing occurs within the Identification Tasking and Networking (ITN) segment, which manages workflow by routing ten-print data to the ten-print processing sub-element (TPS) for automated classification and feature encoding. The system extracts ridge characteristics, indexes patterns (e.g., loops, whorls, arches), and generates searchable templates stored in an Oracle database, supporting rapid electronic image exchange and repository integration. Automated processing targets 95% completion for criminal ten-prints within 2 hours and 99% for civil within 24 hours, with manual review by FBI examiners for non-automated matches. This pipeline handled up to 170,000 daily submissions by design, emphasizing scalability through distributed servers and storage systems like HP Superdome and optical jukeboxes.

Operational Capabilities

Identification and Search Functions

The identification and search functions of the Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System (IAFIS) facilitate the automated encoding, comparison, and matching of fingerprint data against a national repository containing over 70 million criminal subject records and 31 million civil prints as of its operational peak. These functions support both tenprint submissions—complete sets of ten rolled and plain fingerprints from arrestees or applicants—and latent print examinations from crime scenes, enabling agencies to conduct 1-to-many (1:N) searches for potential matches rather than limited 1-to-1 verifications. Tenprint search capabilities involve digitizing submitted fingerprints, extracting minutiae points (unique ridge endings and bifurcations), and querying the IAFIS database to retrieve ranked candidate lists, which are then verified by trained examiners against the original submission for confirmation. This process integrates with the (III) for accessing associated criminal history data, providing responding agencies with electronic responses including identity confirmation or exclusion. Latent search functions extend this by accommodating partial, distorted, or low-quality impressions, using specialized algorithms to search against tenprint records and generate a shortlist of candidates (typically 20-50) for forensic analysts to review, thereby aiding investigations where suspect identities are unknown. Additionally, IAFIS incorporates subject search functionality, allowing biographic queries (e.g., name, date of birth) to narrow potential identities before or alongside biometric matching, and supports electronic image storage and exchange standards for with state and local systems via the FBI's Information Services (CJIS) Wide Area Network. These capabilities were designed to replace manual classification methods, such as Henry System ridge counting, with algorithmic based on , , and minutiae features, ensuring scalability for high-volume submissions from over 18,000 agencies.

Performance Metrics: Speed and Accuracy

The Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System (IAFIS), operational since July 1999, markedly improved fingerprint processing speed over prior manual methods, enabling electronic criminal submissions to receive automated responses in an average of 27 minutes. Integrated queries, such as ten-print checks between the of Homeland Security's IDENT system and IAFIS, typically yielded results within 2 to 10 minutes. Broader turnaround times averaged under two hours, supporting rapid access to a database exceeding 50 million records by the early . IAFIS accuracy for ten-print matching hovered around 92 percent, relying on minutiae-based algorithms to generate ranked candidate lists for human verification. For latent print searches, the system prioritized candidates from vast ten-print holdings, with subsequent examiner decisions showing false positive rates of 0.1 to 0.2 percent in controlled studies of AFIS-generated comparisons. Algorithmic tuning emphasized low false non-match rates at operational thresholds, though performance varied with print quality and database size; hit rates for latent searches improved with algorithmic refinements but required examiner oversight to mitigate errors. Overall, IAFIS demonstrated robust reliability for high-volume operations, processing over 63,000 daily submissions with 91 percent electronic intake by the mid-2000s.

Applications

Criminal Justice and Law Enforcement

The Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System (IAFIS), operational from July 28, 1999, provided federal, state, and local agencies with automated tools for fingerprint-based and criminal history management. Managed by the FBI's Information Services , IAFIS supported over 80,000 agencies by processing electronic submissions of fingerprints and latent prints from scenes against a national database exceeding 64 million criminal records. This capability reduced identification times from weeks or months in manual systems to seconds or minutes, enabling quicker suspect verification and record updates. In arrest processing, agencies submitted tenprint fingerprints—typically rolled impressions from all ten fingers—via livescan devices for automated searches. IAFIS achieved greater than 99% accuracy for these tenprint matches, with the system designed to handle up to 62,000 such searches daily and delivering responses in under one minute for most queries. Matches linked submissions to existing criminal histories, facilitating interstate and preventing duplicate records while supporting decisions on , pretrial release, and sentencing. For criminal investigations, IAFIS enabled searches of latent fingerprints—partial, often smudged impressions recovered from —against the tenprint database and a of approximately 400,000 unsolved latents. These searches, requiring enhancement due to print quality, yielded response times averaging one hour and success rates of 70-80% for suitable latents, contributing to an estimated 50,000 identifications annually across U.S. agencies in a 2005 survey. The system's national scope allowed cross-jurisdictional linkages, aiding in serial crime detection and resolutions, such as a 30-year-old solved through a latent . IAFIS's latent search contributions were highlighted by the FBI's annual Latent Hit of the Year award, recognizing examiners who resolved major violent crimes, including homicides and assaults, via database matches. By integrating with criminal histories, the enhanced investigative efficiency, though outcomes depended on quality and database coverage, with no automated guarantee of zero false positives or negatives absent human verification. Overall, IAFIS processed over 63,000 submissions daily by the mid-2000s, with 91% electronic, underscoring its scale in supporting operations until succeeded by the Next Generation Identification in 2014.

Civil and Background Check Uses

The Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System (IAFIS) supported civil background checks by enabling the automated processing of non-criminal submissions to identify potential criminal histories or prior identifications disqualifying applicants for sensitive roles. These checks were mandated by laws, such as those requiring -based searches for involving children or vulnerable adults, and statutes authorizing similar verifications for licensing or hiring in positions like security guards, educators, or providers. Submissions originated from authorized entities, including agencies and departments, and were routed to the FBI's Information Services (CJIS) for IAFIS analysis, distinct from transactions which received priority processing without fees. In operation, civil ten-print submissions underwent electronic or paper-based capture, followed by IAFIS's algorithmic comparison against a database exceeding 70 million criminal subject records and a separate civil file for non-criminal applicants, yielding matches or non-matches within typically less than 24 hours. Over 96% of all submissions, including civil ones, received responses within 12 hours, with 91% arriving electronically by the mid-2000s, facilitating efficient screening for purposes like benefits adjudication, federal job suitability determinations, and firearms-related employment under the . The FBI imposed an applicant user fee for these non-law enforcement checks to cover processing costs, contrasting with free criminal submissions. Annual volumes underscored the scale: IAFIS handled over 61 million ten-print submissions in 2010, with civil checks comprising a growing share driven by expanded legislative requirements for vulnerability protections, such as under child safety acts. This capability enhanced screening accuracy by cross-referencing fingerprints against both criminal and civil holdings, reducing reliance on name-based checks prone to errors from common names or aliases, though civil responses focused solely on disqualifying criminal hits without full investigative details.

Impact and Effectiveness

Contributions to Public Safety

The Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System (IAFIS), operational since 1999, has bolstered public safety by automating the identification of suspects through ten-print and latent searches, enabling to link to known individuals in criminal databases. This capability supports over 80,000 agencies with electronic fingerprint submissions, image exchange, and criminal history services, facilitating faster arrests and disrupting . By digitizing previously manual processes, IAFIS reduced response times for criminal ten-print transactions to under two hours for over 94% of submissions by 2004, allowing agencies to act swiftly on identifications that prevent and protect communities. IAFIS's latent print search function has proven instrumental in resolving violent crimes and s, directly contributing to public safety through perpetrator identifications leading to convictions. For example, a 45-year-old double of officers was solved via an IAFIS match that cleared the case decades after the incident. In another instance, a 38-year-old murder was resolved when latent prints from the scene matched a in the IAFIS database. The FBI's annual Latent Hit of the Year award highlights such successes, recognizing identifications in major violent crimes that enhance investigative outcomes and reduce threats to the public. Specific cases underscore IAFIS's efficacy: in 2014, latent prints from a cold case murder positively identified suspect Shawn Marsh as the first candidate in an IAFIS response, leading to resolution. Similarly, a 30-year-old stabbing murder from 1978 was solved in recent years through IAFIS analysis of latent fingerprints and palmprints from the . These identifications, drawn from a database exceeding 65 million subjects and expanding by 8,000 to 10,000 daily, demonstrate how IAFIS with local and state systems amplifies law enforcement's capacity to solve crimes that might otherwise remain unsolved, thereby deterring potential offenses and safeguarding society.

Empirical Outcomes and Case Studies

The Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System (IAFIS), operational from 1999 until its replacement by the Next Generation Identification system in 2014, processed over 456 million submissions, enabling automated tenprint and latent searches that contributed to identifications in criminal investigations. Daily processing averaged more than 63,000 receipts, with over 91% submitted electronically and high throughput rates supporting rapid comparisons against a national repository exceeding 70 million criminal records by the early . Empirical assessments of automated systems, including those integrated with IAFIS, indicated search accuracy rates of 94-98% for good-quality prints, facilitating "cold searches" where latent prints from unsolved scenes matched previously unidentified suspects. A evaluation of early automated systems found they increased latent match rates by enabling broader database access, with one study reporting a 20-30% rise in identifications for agencies adopting such technology in the initial operational phases. IAFIS's effectiveness in latent print identification was demonstrated through its role in resolving long-standing cold cases, as recognized by the FBI's annual Latent Hit of the Year awards, which highlighted instances where IAFIS searches yielded critical leads. In one documented case from 1964, involving the double murder of two police officers during a , a latent recovered from the remained unmatched for 45 years until a 2009 IAFIS search against updated records identified a , leading to an arrest and clearance of the case. Similarly, a 30-year-old benefited from IAFIS latent print matching, where a search in the early connected scene evidence to a known offender in the national database, underscoring the system's utility in overcoming manual search limitations. These outcomes aligned with broader forensic studies affirming high reliability in examiner-verified latent matches, with error rates below 1% in controlled black-box evaluations of decisions supported by automated systems like IAFIS. Despite these successes, empirical data also revealed dependencies on print and database completeness; poor-quality latents yielded lower hit rates, and pre-IAFIS manual methods had constrained , as evidenced by pre-automation clearance rates for fingerprint-dependent cases hovering around 10-20% in large jurisdictions before IAFIS deployment. Overall, IAFIS's of automated searching with human verification enhanced investigative efficiency, contributing to thousands of identifications annually by bridging and federal databases, though successors like NGI addressed residual accuracy gaps, improving machine matching from approximately 92% under IAFIS to over 99%.

Controversies

Privacy and Data Security Debates

The centralization of biometric fingerprint data in IAFIS, operational since July 28, 1999, and containing records on tens of millions of individuals by the early , prompted concerns from privacy advocates about the risks of government overreach and insufficient oversight in a national repository blending criminal and civil submissions. Organizations such as the () criticized the FBI for relying on an outdated 1999 System of Records Notice (SORN) under the , originally designed for IAFIS's predecessor systems, which allowed expansion into broader biometrics without fully updating privacy protections or conducting timely assessments after 2008. This approach, according to , skirted requirements for public notice and consent, potentially enabling indefinite retention of data from non-convicted arrestees and civil applicants, such as purchasers, without clear segregation from criminal records. Data security risks were another focal point, with FBI Privacy Impact Assessments identifying potential threats like unauthorized disclosures or breaches of personally identifiable information (PII) due to the system's scale and with state and federal databases. Mitigations included , , and audit logs, but critics argued these were inadequate against sophisticated threats, given biometrics' irreversibility—unlike passwords, compromised cannot be changed—and the absence of reported major breaches only underscoring untested vulnerabilities rather than robustness. The Electronic Privacy Information Center () highlighted how such centralized stores amplify misuse risks by officials or hackers, including or discriminatory profiling, particularly as IAFIS data sharing grew to support over 63 million annual fingerprint transactions by 2014. Retention policies fueled further debate, as IAFIS stored fingerprints indefinitely for convicted offenders and for extended periods (up to 90 days or more for civil checks) even absent matches, raising proportionality issues in light of first-arrest inclusions without convictions. Proponents, including FBI officials, maintained that strict access controls and legal mandates under the justified retention for public safety, but groups contended this enabled , where law enforcement data could inform non-criminal uses like without legislative checks. No of widespread abuse emerged during IAFIS's tenure, yet the system's transition to Next Generation Identification (NGI) in 2010–2014 amplified calls for independent audits, reflecting ongoing tension between security efficiencies and individual rights against pervasive tracking.

Criticisms of Accuracy and Equity Claims

Critics have challenged the purported infallibility of fingerprint identification supported by IAFIS, arguing that the system's reliance on human examiners following automated candidate selection introduces subjective errors not fully quantified in operational settings. A 2011 study by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) on latent decisions reported a of 0.1% among examiners, with false negatives at 7.5%, though 85% of participants committed at least one error, highlighting variability in human judgment. Subsequent analyses, including the 2022 Latent Print Examiner Black Box Study, found erroneous identification rates of 0.2% on non-mated comparisons, but noted inconsistencies in reproducibility, with error distribution uneven across examiners. These findings have fueled arguments that IAFIS-assisted matches, often presented with high confidence, overestimate reliability due to , where examiners favor AFIS-ranked candidates, potentially inflating real-world false positives beyond controlled rates of 0.1-0.2%. Further scrutiny arises from the lack of comprehensive foundational validity testing prior to IAFIS's 1999 deployment, as critiqued in reviews emphasizing unknown population-based error rates for latent prints of varying quality. While proponents cite low false positive incidences—such as 1 in 18 to 1 in 30 in select proficiency tests—these are contested as underrepresenting challenges with distorted or partial latents common in investigations, where error rates may reach up to 20% in suboptimal conditions. Regarding , claims of systemic racial or demographic in IAFIS have been limited, with empirical studies showing minimal differentials in automated matching accuracy across groups. A 2022 analysis of state-of-the-art matchers like Verifinger and DeepPrint on datasets of over 15,000 subjects found small variations in true match rates (e.g., 99.68% for males vs. 99.46% for White males), statistically significant but attributable to image quality outliers rather than inherent biometric disparities, with biases diminishing in higher-performing systems. Critics, often drawing parallels to facial recognition inequities, argue that human examiner —such as contextual influences from case details—could disproportionately affect minority suspects, though peer-reviewed data does not substantiate race-specific matching inaccuracies in minutiae analysis. concerns more frequently target database composition, reflecting higher submission rates from over-policed communities, but this pertains to input disparities rather than identification accuracy itself, challenging narratives of algorithmic inequity without evidence of causal in ridge detail comparisons.

Legacy and Succession

Transition to Next Generation Identification

The FBI initiated the development of the Next Generation Identification (NGI) system as an incremental upgrade to address the limitations of the Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System (IAFIS), which relied primarily on ten-print fingerprints and struggled with increasing data volumes and evolving biometric needs. Planning for NGI began in the mid-2000s, with a business case outlined in 2006 emphasizing the need for enhanced search speeds, multimodal biometrics including facial recognition and iris scans, and improved interoperability with state and local systems. Deployment commenced in February 2011 with the first increment, replacing the legacy Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS) component of IAFIS through the Advanced Fingerprint Identification Technology (AFIT), which introduced probabilistic matching algorithms for greater accuracy in latent print searches. The FBI announced initial operating capability on March 8, 2011, noting that NGI, developed by , would process searches in under 10 minutes compared to IAFIS's average of two hours. Subsequent increments added capabilities like rapid DNA analysis interfaces and palmprint matching, with full operational capacity achieved by September 2014, officially retiring IAFIS on September 7 of that year. The transition enabled NGI to handle over 100 million criminal ten-print records and support real-time biometric submissions, expanding beyond IAFIS's fingerprint-centric model to include civil and non-criminal applications while maintaining during the phased rollout. This upgrade was driven by empirical demands for higher hit rates—NGI latent searches yielding up to 20% more identifications—and integration with federal partners like the Department of Homeland Security, though it raised ongoing debates about and not resolved in the core replacement process.

Comparative Advantages of Successors

The Next Generation Identification (NGI) system, deployed incrementally by the FBI starting in 2011 and reaching full operational capability on September 7, 2014, succeeded the Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System (IAFIS) by incorporating advanced algorithms that elevated ten-print matching accuracy from 92% under IAFIS to over 99%. This enhancement stemmed from the Advanced Fingerprint Identification Technology (AFIT) introduced in February 2011, which also reduced manual reviews by 90% and minimized transaction rejects, thereby streamlining operations for agencies. Response times for queries improved significantly, with criminal submissions processed in one hour compared to two hours previously, and civil submissions in 12 hours versus 24 hours. NGI expanded beyond IAFIS's primary focus on fingerprints by integrating multimodal , including palm prints via the National Palm Print System established in May 2013, iris scans through a contactless service, and facial recognition capabilities that generate ranked candidate lists from photo searches. These additions enabled searches incorporating physical descriptors such as scars, marks, and tattoos, which IAFIS lacked, and supported the Interstate Photo System for enhanced image-based identification tied to criminal histories. Latent print searches, including those for palm prints, achieved three times greater accuracy than under IAFIS, facilitating more reliable matches in forensic investigations. Additional features like the National Rap Back Service provided ongoing criminal history notifications for enrolled individuals, a capability absent in IAFIS, while the Repository for Individuals of Special Concern (RISC)—containing 2.5 million records—delivered search results in under 10 seconds, accelerating investigations into high-risk subjects. Overall, NGI's increased processing capacity and system availability addressed IAFIS's limitations in handling growing biometric demands, yielding more investigative leads through unsolved latent print resolutions and broader biometric interoperability.

References

  1. [1]
    IAFIS/NGI Biometric Interoperability - FBI
    The IAFIS houses the largest collection of digital representations of fingerprint images, features from the digital fingerprint images, and criminal history ...
  2. [2]
    [PDF] FBI Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System (IAFIS)
    Aug 4, 2006 · Prior to the IAFIS, fingerprint identification was a manual, labor- intensive process which took weeks or months to complete. The IAFIS provides ...
  3. [3]
    [PDF] THE INTEGRATED AUTOMATED FINGERPRINT IDENTIFICATION ...
    The IAFIS allows criminal justice agencies to submit facial photos, as well as photos of scars, marks, and tattoos, with arrests which can be electronically ...
  4. [4]
    [PDF] Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS)
    The Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification. System, more commonly known as IAFIS, is the world's largest collection of criminal history information.
  5. [5]
    FIRS IAFIS — FBI
    IAFIS integrates fingerprint records that have been sent to the FBI by the States and territories and Federal law enforcement agencies, all of which have ...
  6. [6]
    FBI Marks 100 Years of Fingerprints and Criminal History Records
    Jul 10, 2024 · In 1999, the implementation of the Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System (IAFIS) heralded the era of digitized fingerprints at ...
  7. [7]
    [PDF] IAFIS and Fingerprint Technology at the Dawn of the 21 't Century
    Nov 22, 2024 · The use of fingerprints for identification purposes began at the end of the 19th century and revolutionized crime fighting.
  8. [8]
    NGI Officially Replaces IAFIS — Yields More Options and ... - FBI.gov
    Oct 24, 2014 · When the IAFIS became operational in July 1999 with a price tag of $640 million, it transformed the processing of fingerprint search requests.Missing: early | Show results with:early
  9. [9]
    [PDF] IDENT IAFIS Interoperability - Homeland Security
    Interoperability is defined as the sharing of alien immigration history, criminal history, and terrorist information based on positive identification and the ...Missing: sources | Show results with:sources
  10. [10]
    Overview of FBI Biometrics Efforts
    Jun 19, 2013 · The use of fingerprint identification in the United States dates back to 1902. The New York Civil Service Commission established the practice of ...Missing: timeline | Show results with:timeline
  11. [11]
    [PDF] Interstate Identification Index/ National Fingerprint File Operational ...
    Dec 3, 2005 · 1 The FBI's IAFIS consists of three integrated segments (Identification Tasking and Networking, Automated Fingerprint Identification. System ...<|control11|><|separator|>
  12. [12]
    [PDF] Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System (IAFIS)
    matches in the IAFI system IAFIS provides the FBI's laboratory with enhanced search capabilities using data ses especially designed for matching latent pnnts.<|separator|>
  13. [13]
    [PDF] Fingerprint Recognition | FBI
    Lockheed Martin was selected to build the AFIS segment of the FBI's IAFIS project and the major IAFIS components were operational by 1999.3 Also in this ...
  14. [14]
    Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) - FBI
    It features a 600-seat cafeteria, a 500-seat auditorium, atria for visitors and employees, and a 100,000-square-foot computer center.
  15. [15]
    [PDF] pia-next-generation-identification-biometric-interoperability.pdf - FBI
    The CJIS WAN is a telecommunications infrastructure that connects authorized agencies to the NGI System and other host computer systems. The CJIS WAN provides a.
  16. [16]
    [PDF] IAFIS SYSTEM SPECIFICATION DOCUMENT - Epic.org
    Aug 27, 2008 · the system identified as the Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System. ... Figure 1 shows the IAFIS System Architecture.
  17. [17]
    [PDF] Standards for the electronic Submission of Fingerprint cards to the FBI
    IAFIS will be a paperless work environment that will allow the FBI to provide one day service on fingerprint submittals. For critical submissions, responses ...
  18. [18]
    Certifications — BioSpecs - FBI.gov
    The NGI System accepts fingerprint images at 1000 ppi, or four times the spatial resolution sampled by the 500 ppi standard for the IAFIS.
  19. [19]
    [PDF] The FBI compression standard for digitized fingerprint images
    The algorithm produces archival-quality images at compression ratios of around 15 to 1 and will allow the current database of paper fingerprint cards to be ...
  20. [20]
    [PDF] Integrated Automated Fingerprint System (IAFIS) and Related Records
    ten-print processing sub-element (TPS) processes automated and manual fingerprint submissions. The document processing sub-element (DPS) processes file ...
  21. [21]
    Next Generation Identification (NGI) — LE - FBI.gov
    NGI is a system replacing IAFIS, providing a large electronic repository of biometric and criminal history information, improving efficiency and accuracy.
  22. [22]
    https://archives.gov/files/records-mgmt/rcs/schedules/departments/department-of-justice/rg-0065/n1-065-04-005_sf115.pdf
  23. [23]
    [PDF] fbi-jafis - Supreme Court
    The Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System, or IAFIS, is a national fingerprint and criminal history system that responds to requests 24 ...<|separator|>
  24. [24]
    [PDF] IDENT Implementation for US VISIT
    As part of the IDENTIIAFIS integration program, the FBI's IAFIS system returns 10 print-based queries to DHS within 2 to 10 minutes. However, even a one ...
  25. [25]
    FBI upgrading its criminal justice records system - Police1
    Sep 24, 2012 · Turnaround time for the existing Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System is typically two hours for criminal records. Under ...
  26. [26]
    FBI deploys faster fingerprint ID system - Route Fifty
    ... percent compared to the IAFIS accuracy rate of around 92 percent. ... It is being phased in to replace the Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System ...
  27. [27]
    Accuracy and reliability of forensic latent fingerprint decisions - PMC
    False positive errors (erroneous individualizations) were made at the rate of 0.1% and never by two examiners on the same comparison. Five of the six errors ...
  28. [28]
    Accuracy and Reproducibility of Latent Print Decisions on ...
    On nonmated comparisons, 0.2 percent of responses were erroneous IDs (false positives) ... IAFIS used in (1, 2)) poses an increased risk of false IDs ...
  29. [29]
    30-Year-Old Murder Solved - FBI
    Nov 12, 2024 · And once a year, the Bureau's Criminal Justice Information Services Division recognizes an outstanding major case solved with help from IAFIS.Missing: contributions | Show results with:contributions
  30. [30]
    Latent Hit of the Year - FBI
    Every year, the FBI gives the Latent Hit of the Year award to an examiner or officer who used FBI IAFIS to catch a criminal. Those are unsung heroes.Missing: achievements controversies
  31. [31]
    FBI Fingerprint Program
    The IAFIS was the dawn of a new era for the FBI's fingerprint identification program as it permits the processing of all incoming fingerprint submissions in a ...Missing: details | Show results with:details
  32. [32]
    [PDF] REQUIRED FIELDS – CRIMINAL FINGERPRINT CARD - FBI.gov
    Applicant User Fee: Fingerprint cards are submitted when a person is applying for a non-law enforcement position and needs a background check completed as part ...<|separator|>
  33. [33]
    IAFIS Fingerprint Search Solves 45-Year-Old Double Police Officer ...
    This article presents the history of a 45-year-old murder of two police officers that was eventually cleared largely due to a fingerprint match from access to ...
  34. [34]
    [PDF] FBI'S Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System (IAFIS ...
    The FBI CJIS. Division Latent Hit of the. Year highlights major cases solved when latent prints were identified by a search of the FBI's IAFIS. On Jan. 2, 1972, ...<|control11|><|separator|>
  35. [35]
    Latent Hit of the Year - FBI
    Oct 8, 2010 · ... major violent crime cases solved with the assistance of our Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System (IAFIS).
  36. [36]
    2014 Latent Hit of the Year: Massachusetts Cold Case Murder — LE
    Oct 24, 2014 · Trooper Dolan examined the latent print evidence and positively identified the prints to the first candidate of the IAFIS response–Shawn Marsh.
  37. [37]
    [PDF] achieving interoperability for latent fingerprint identification
    communicate with the FBI's IAFIS, the system that preceded NGI. IAFIS became fully operational in 1999 and provided a national system that enabled ten-print ...
  38. [38]
    [PDF] Interstate Identification Index Name Check Efficacy - Search.org
    Jul 13, 1999 · Analyses have shown that AFIS search results are 94-98 percent accurate when searching good quality fingerprints.4 For this reason, an ...
  39. [39]
    [PDF] Estimating the Impact of AFIS (Automated Fingerprint Identification ...
    The improvement in effectiveness may result because AFIS can match latent prints to suspects in instances called "cold searches"; without AFIS, such matches are ...Missing: IAFIS | Show results with:IAFIS
  40. [40]
    Face Off: Law Enforcement Use of Face Recognition Technology
    Feb 12, 2018 · For years FBI skirted the Privacy Act by relying on an outdated SORN from 1999 describing its legacy criminal database called IAFIS (Integrated ...
  41. [41]
    EFF asks for privacy review of FBI biometrics database
    Jun 26, 2014 · The last assessment, undertaken back in 2008, only examined the impact of previous integrated automated fingerprint identification capabilities.
  42. [42]
    FBI Sued for Info on Face Recognition - Courthouse News Service
    "FBI has not explained to the public how NGI or IAFIS's system design would ensure that civil submissions are not 'tainted' by criminal submissions or explained ...
  43. [43]
    Information Security: Challenges in Using Biometrics - GovInfo
    Information Security: Challenges in Using Biometrics (09-SEP-03, GAO-03-1137T). One of the primary functions of any security system is the control of people ...
  44. [44]
    EPIC v. FBI (Biometric Data Transfer Agreements)
    The FBI database contains biometric data, such as fingerprint and retinal scans, on millions of Americans and raises significant privacy risks.Missing: concerns debates
  45. [45]
    Expansion of FBI facial recognition system raises privacy concerns
    Apr 14, 2014 · Some of the most recent statistics show that IAFIS, which entered service in 1999, was able to process nearly 63 million ten-print fingerprints ...
  46. [46]
    EFF Sues FBI For Access to Facial-Recognition Records
    Jun 26, 2013 · The information sought includes agreements and discussions between the FBI and various state agencies regarding the face-recognition program; ...
  47. [47]
    The Pros And Cons Of Gathering Biometric Data - NPR
    Sep 18, 2012 · We're talking about the new system from the FBI to collect and exchange fingerprints and other biometric information.
  48. [48]
    [PDF] GAO-16-267, FACE Recognition Technology: FBI Should Better ...
    May 5, 2016 · This report examines: 1) the FBI's face recognition capabilities; and the extents to which 2) the FBI's use of face recognition adhered to ...
  49. [49]
    Controversy Stalks FBI's Next Generation Identification (NGI)
    Apr 9, 2015 · Civil liberties organizations are increasingly expressing concerns over the FBI's Next Generation Identification (NGI) biometrics database.
  50. [50]
    Accuracy and reproducibility of latent print decisions on ...
    On nonmated comparisons, 0.2 % of responses were erroneous IDs (false positives), 69.8 % were exclusions (true negatives), 12.9 % were inconclusive, and 17.2 % ...
  51. [51]
    Fingerprint identification and its aura of infallibility
    But part of the problem with the way critics attack fingerprinting is that “error rate” is a broad category that doesn't separate the error rate inherent in the ...
  52. [52]
    Fingerprints Are Not a Gold Standard
    Fingerprints lack scientific testing, objective standards for matching, and have unknown error rates, making their reliability untested and not a gold standard.
  53. [53]
    Beyond a Reasonable Doubt? Fingerprint Evidence's Troubling Flaws
    Apr 15, 2025 · Those two studies revealed disturbingly high rates of false-positive identifications: 1 in 18 and 1 in 30. Even the handful of studies of ...
  54. [54]
    Debunking Myths: Fingerprint Evidence in Forensic Science
    Dec 20, 2024 · Research from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) shows AFIS error rates can range from 0.1% to 20%. Thus, human ...Missing: IAFIS criticisms
  55. [55]
    None
    ### Summary of Key Findings on Demographic Differentials in Fingerprint Recognition Accuracy
  56. [56]
    [PDF] A Study in Cognitive Bias and its Effects on Latent Fingerprint Analysis
    Cognitive bias, an unconscious effect, and motivational bias, a conscious effect, are two types of bias that affect nearly every fingerprint examiner. While ...Missing: racial | Show results with:racial
  57. [57]
    [PDF] FBI Next Generation Identification (NGI) Final 300 FY 08
    Aug 6, 2006 · The Next Generation Identification (NGI) will be a major upgrade to the current Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System ...<|separator|>
  58. [58]
    FBI Announces Initial Operating Capability for Next Generation ...
    Mar 8, 2011 · The Next Generation Identification System (NGI), built by Lockheed Martin, delivers an incremental replacement of the FBI's Integrated Automated Fingerprint ...
  59. [59]
    [PDF] Exhibit 300: FBI Next Generation Identification (NGI) (Revision 17)
    Jul 16, 2014 · ... NGI will begin operations in parallel with IAFIS in. FY2011; (d) NGI will transition to Steady State and officially replace IAFIS in FY2015.