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Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International Airport in California is now processing employee criminal background checks through the FBI using Live Scan fingerprinting technology. In compliance with a new Federal law, the fingerprinting of employees requiring unescorted access to secure areas started December 6, 2001. The Airport started the program initially with the "ink and roll" procedure. Today an Identix Live Scan TouchPrint Fingerprint system is in place to reduce the processing time from up to three weeks to three days.
"All new employees that require unescorted access to secure areas are fingerprinted prior to issuance of a security badge. The remaining employees (approximately 4,000) with existing access privileges are required to be fingerprinted by December 2002 according to Federal law," said Ralph G. Tonseth, Director of Aviation.
"Airport staff is working with our tenants to ensure this happens well in advance of that deadline, with a completion goal of late summer 2002. Because the safety and security of our passengers is our top concern, the fingerprinting of all security access Airport employees will be accomplished as soon as possible."
Federal funding, in the amount of $44,000, is being pursued to offset the purchase and installation costs of the Live Scan system.
Prior to December 6, 2001, Airport employees requiring unescorted access to secure areas were subject to a ten year employment history verification.
Introduction to Fingerprint Comparison - Written by retired FBI Supervisory Fingerprint Specialist Gary W. Jones. This book is a valuable text in learning the basic skills in fingerprint comparison. Examples and quizzes give the reader a solid foundation on which to build comparison skills. Author: "The comparison of fingerprints, especially latent fingerprints (palm prints, footprints), can be the single most difficult task in all the fingerprint science. No matter how skillful an individual may be in all the related areas, it is the additional ability to accurately compare latent prints against known prints that allows the examiner to be called a fingerprint expert. This ability is gained through training, knowledge, experience and work under the guidance of a qualified fingerprint expert(s). Fingerprint comparison is a skill that can be acquired by almost anyone who expends the required effort, which can be very demanding. It is difficult, but it's not rocket science. If you are just beginning, don't get discouraged you can do it! Speed and accuracy of comparisons are the natural results of being aware of fundamental techniques. This book is not a comprehensive examination of the entire spectrum of fingerprint comparison. The information contained in this book is designed for the novice; the individual who has never compared fingerprints, but wants a foundation on which to build comparison skills. Many advanced techniques for comparing fingerprints are not addressed in this book. After mastering the basic principles of fingerprint comparison, the only way to learn how to fully compare prints is to continue comparing while receiving additional instruction in the more advanced techniques. The person entering this field must continually seek out every opportunity to observe, compare and study fingerprints. This is also true of the most experienced expert. The work of the fingerprint expert is serious business. It is a tremendous responsibility and a privilege to be validated in a court of law as an expert and allowed to give an opinion as to the identity of a fingerprint. This privilege and responsibility is never to be taken lightly. In an effort to make some highly technical material a little easier to understand, I have written this book in a somewhat lighthearted vein. This is not meant to indicate that I believe the comparison of fingerprints, or any other aspect of the fingerprint science, is to be approached in anything less than a solemn, serious manner. This book is also a "no-frills" presentation on the subject of latent fingerprint comparison. Common language will be used. That is not meant to suggest that the knowledge of the proper scientific terms and descriptions common to the fingerprint science is not important. It is important, which is why a glossary of these terms is included in the back of this book."