Noem budget sets aside $3.5 million for state fingerprint, criminal history database
December 12, 2022
PIERRE, S.D.–Lawmakers in Pierre will soon be asked to send $3.5 million to the Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) to update the software that catalogs arrest and fingerprint records that date back to 1937.
As John Hult with South Dakota Searchlight reports, the ask is among the one-time line items tucked into Gov. Kristi Noem’s 360-page proposed budget. The software upgrades to the DCI’s criminal record system would be covered by $2.5 million in state and $1.2 million in federal funds.
The system catalogs all arrest and conviction information collected by or shared with the state, including fingerprints.
If the Appropriations Committee approves the spending, Interim DCI Director Chad Mosteller said, the agency would seek bids for a faster, simpler system that will integrate and communicate more efficiently with databases used by other agencies like the Unified Judicial System (UJS).
The DCI database software is primarily used by law enforcement in the field. Its foundation is fingerprint records, which Mosteller said makes it more accurate than other records repositories that rely on names or dates of birth.
The full story can be found by clicking here: https://southdakotasearchlight.com/briefs/noem-budget-sets-aside-3-5-million-for-state-fingerprint-criminal-history-database/?eType=EmailBlastContent&eId=58015bbf-c614-4c7d-a82d-ab3edd2f08d1
