What is the difference between forensic fingerprinting technology and biometric finger-scan technology?
Many people think of forensic fingerprinting as an ink and paper process. While this may still be done in some locations, most jurisdictions utilize optical scanners known as livescan systems. There are some fundamental differences between these forensic fingerprinting systems (used in AFIS systems) and the biometric finger-scan systems used to logon to a PC: Response time – AFIS systems may take hours to match a candidate, while finger-scan systems respond with seconds or fractions of seconds. Cost – an AFIS capture device can range from several hundred to tens of thousands of dollars, depending on whether it is designed to capture one or multiple fingerprints. A PC peripheral finger-scan device generally costs less than $200 Accuracy – an AFIS system might return the top 5 candidates in a biometric comparison with the intent of locating or questioning the top suspects. Finger-scan systems are designed to return a single yes/no answer based on a single comparison. Scale AFIS systems a
