Did you know that the FBI CJIS National Fingerprint Repository has only been around for the past 100 years? Over the past century, the technology behind fingerprinting has evolved dramatically, revolutionizing crime-solving.
Let’s explore the timeline that highlights the key milestones and technological advancements that have shaped the FBI CJIS National Fingerprint Repository over the past century.
1924: Establishment of the Identification Division
- Known as "Ident," the FBI's Identification Division was created to collect fingerprints from law enforcement agencies across the country and manually search for matches to criminals and crime evidence. However, these fingerprints were stored individually in file cabinets, making them difficult to access.
1946: Growth of Fingerprint Records
- The FBI had the world’s largest fingerprint collection, with over 100 million fingerprint cards stored in its repository. While this was an impressive number, manually searching through 100 million fingerprints quickly was a significant challenge.
1969: Studying the Process
- The FBI contracted the National Institute of Standards (NIST) to study the process of automating fingerprint classification, searching, and matching.
1975: Computerization of Fingerprints Begins
- The FBI began storing the fingerprint minutiae, the small characteristics of the friction ridges that make identification possible, on computerized systems. This greatly sped up the search process compared to manual searches. Storing the actual fingerprint image was still too expensive.
1992: Formation of the CJIS Division
- The Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) Division was established out of the former Identification Division, "Ident," to serve as the national repository for criminal justice information, including fingerprints.
1999: Launch of the Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System (IAFIS)
- This system revolutionized fingerprint identification by collecting the image of the fingerprint and automating the search and match process. It enabled criminal justice agencies to receive fingerprint match results in hours rather than weeks.
2011: Introduction of the first segment of the Next Generation Identification (NGI) System
- The NGI system was introduced as an improved version of IAFIS, adding advanced features such as facial recognition, palm prints, and iris scans. The first part of the NGI project was to improve fingerprint processing with the new Automated Fingerprint Identification Technology (AFIT). AFIT was expected to reduce the need for fingerprint records to be processed manually.
2014: Full Operational Capabilities of AFIT
- With AFIT being fully operational, identification services became faster and more accurate. This system reduced the percentage of fingerprint transactions that required manual examination to less than 3%, down from 25%. What once took weeks now was delivering results within minutes.
2024: 100th Anniversary of the Fingerprint Repository and Related Criminal History Data
- In July 2024, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) held a ceremony to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the national repository for fingerprints and related criminal history data in Clarksburg, West Virginia.
The honored guests included West Virginia senators and representatives, current and former Chairman of the Advisory Policy Board (APB), current and former Chairman of the National Crime Prevention and Privacy Compact Council (Compact Council), and both current and retired CJIS employees.
Leslie Moore, a valued member of the DCI team and former Compact Council Chairman, was honored with an invitation to this remarkable celebration.
The celebration kicked off with a pop-up museum showcasing the history of fingerprints from the 1800s to the present day.
The celebration continued with a presentation by the CJIS Division, reflecting on their history, employees, technological advancements, and future goals in fingerprints and biometrics. This look into their progress and achievements highlighted the significant impact of their innovations for criminal justice information.
The information and data stored in the FBI's CJIS National Fingerprint File and the Interstate Identification Index are used by criminal justice agencies across the country to identify individuals and track criminal history records. These databases can be accessed through the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) and other authorized systems, such as eAgent.
The eAgent Identity Center- Computerized Criminal History (CCH) facilitates secure retrieval and management of critical information, including biometric data, criminal history, and warrants, while streamlining the identity verification process for agencies. This ensures informed decision-making and compliance with CJIS security policies.
Our eAgent Identity Center integrates directly with the FBI's CJIS National Fingerprint Repository and the Interstate Identification Index, seamlessly providing access to the most accurate and up-to-date fingerprint and criminal history information. This integration ensures that agencies have reliable data for their criminal history needs.
At Diverse Computing Inc., our mission is to deliver cutting-edge solutions that enhance the efficiency and accuracy of criminal justice operations.
Discover more about the eAgent Identity Center and contact us today to schedule a demo.
Kommentare