Vermont Garners $513,375 Grant In Latest Installment Of Federal Funds To Computerize State's Criminal History Records.....Money Will Help State Tap Into New Electronic FBI Fingerprint ID Dat

August 24, 1999

(Aug. 24) -- Vermont's continuing efforts to link up with a new electronic FBI fingerprint identification database will get a significant boost with a new $513,375 grant from the U.S. Department of Justice, says Sen. Patrick Leahy.

The funds originate from the National Criminal History Program (NCHIP), a federal program set up in the 1994 anti-crime bill to help states upgrade the quality and availability of their criminal history records. Leahy, the senior Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, has consistently urged the Justice Department to award Vermont its fair share of NCHIP funding. Since NCHIP's inception in 1995, Vermont has garnered $4.5 million from the program (which includes the latest $513,375 installment).

Vermont plans to use a portion of the new installment of funds to link up with the FBI's new Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification Systems, which is a nationwide computer database of electronic fingerprints that states can access to check fingerprint matches and conduct background checks. The FBI announced earlier this month that the fingerprint identification database was now on-line. Fifteen states are already interacting with the database, but many more, including Vermont, do not yet have all the necessary computer technology to submit electronic fingerprints. With the new $513,375 grant, Vermont expects to fully interface with the FBI's electronic fingerprint database by the spring of 2000. The FBI expect this new system to reduce the time it takes to conduct criminal background checks to two hours.

"With these funds, Vermont will soon tap into a state-of-the-art computer database that will speed up the process of background checks and fingerprint identification by light years," said Leahy. "Tracking 21st century criminals requires having 21st century technology to do the job. Vermont has made strides toward linking up with the FBI's electronic database and this grant should help the state finish the job."

Local contact: Philip Colby, Vermont Department of Public Safety -- 244-8786