Provide CardScan Terminals for 25 Rural Iowa Counties

The goal of the National Criminal History Improvement Program (NCHIP) is to improve the Nation's safety and security by enhancing the quality, completeness, and accessibility of criminal history record information and by insuring the nationwide implementation of criminal justice and noncriminal justice background check systems. BJS provides direct financial and technical assistance to the states to improve criminal history and other related records and to build their infrastructure to connect to national record check systems both to supply information and to conduct the requisite checks.

Under the 2017 NCHIP priority 1 area of updating and automating case outcomes in state records and the FBI Criminal History File, the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI), through Iowa Department of Public Safety (DPS), will use NCHIP funds to purchase 25 CardScan terminals for agencies that currently submit rolled fingerprint cards.

DCI will purchase and install 25 CardScan terminals in agencies currently using ink and roll fingerprint cards which are submitted via U.S. Mail. The CardScans will allow the identified agencies to have a cost effective piece of technology to submit fingerprints in a timely manner to the central repository. The agencies will still use the ink and roll method for obtaining fingerprints, but the CardScans will now allow the rolled prints to be scanned and submitted electronically to DPS in NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology) format. The CardScans will reduce the delay in submitting the fingerprint cards and posting the criminal history records by at least three working days. The three working day reduction amounts to a 50% reduction in application to a criminal history records. The reduction improves the accuracy of Iowa’s criminal history records as well as subsequent federal reporting databases. Furthermore, the improved efficiency in the fingerprint process is important in regards to persons who are prohibited from purchasing or possessing firearms under Federal and Iowa state laws. The CardScan terminals will allow an additional 6,700 fingerprint cards annually to be processed electronically and will increase the percentage of fingerprints cards processed electronically to almost 89% of all fingerprint submissions. The CardScan purchase project will improve the accuracy, timeliness and completeness of Iowa criminal history records in addition to qualifying records reported to federal reporting systems. (CA/NCF)