This book is intended for use by criminal justice policymakers, managers, administrators, and students who work in the area of biometric identification and want to know more about automated fingerprint identification system (AFIS) technology. The book explains in detail how AFISs work, and presents the process of fingerprint identification from the initial capture of the set of finger images to production of a rap sheet for the suspect. The book is divided into 10 chapters that focus primarily on automated fingerprint identifications. Chapter 1 presents an overview of AFISs, while chapter 2 presents a history of AFISs. Chapter 3 discusses the uniqueness of fingerprints; chapter 4 presents a summary of the forensic fingerprint identification process; and chapter 5 provides a more detailed description of identification processing. Chapter 6 contains a discussion on the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of AFISs; chapter 7 presents information for law enforcement officials considering purchasing an AFIS; and chapter 8 examines standards developed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology as well as the Federal Bureau of Investigation for AFISs. Chapter 9 looks at the contractual issues surrounding the purchase of an AFIS, while chapter 10 contains a case study on the successful implementation of an AFIS. Appendixes and index