In using a mobile AFIS system, an officer in the field places a subject's finger on the platen at the end of the mobile handheld unit. The officer may also photograph the subject and enter any available demographics on a built-in PDA-type keyboard. The device creates digital images of the fingerprints, and the data are quickly packaged into a NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology)-type record. The data are then sent over a wireless network to a wireless data server. The server submits the transaction to one or more AFIS databases for matching, and the AFIS processes the results. If there is no match, a "no hit" response is sent to the officer's handheld unit. If a match is found, the server retrieves associated demographics or other information from the designated databases and forwards this data back to the mobile handheld device. The mobile AFIS system not only identifies individuals quickly in the field, it can also confirm mistaken-identity claims, process multiple subjects at once, identify jail and prison populations in real time, track individuals throughout correctional facilities, control access to restricted areas, provide identifications for various inmate activities, and identify individuals authorized to access various databases. This article describes the two basic types of AFIS searches with a mobile unit, Motorola's automated mobile AFIS, NEC's Mobile ID, and Identix's IBIS handheld mobile AFIS system.