09.16.04

Cantwell Secures Funding for Snohomish "Palm Print" Law Enforcement Tool in Senate Spending Bill

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) announced today that she secured $335,000 in a Senate spending bill for Snohomish County's palm identification system. The system, when fully functional, will be an important tool for law enforcement officials, and the first of its kind in Washington state.

"This technology will enable us to catch criminals like never before," Cantwell said. "Snohomish County's palm print system will bring to justice some criminals who previously would have slipped by the traditional fingerprint system."

The system will allow Snohomish County law enforcement officials to compare palm prints left at crime scenes to a database of archived prints, much like current fingerprint systems. Active palm print systems in other states have provided police with a positive match 30% of the time, solving a lot of crimes that would otherwise go unsolved.

Last year Cantwell secured $750,000 for Snohomish County's Palm AFIS ( Automated Fingerprint Identification Systems) program. That money was set aside for the purchase of 'live scan' devices and an archive system. The funds this year will be used to set up the actual AFIS system, which will match palm prints to the database.

Snohomish County's palm print system will be the first in Washington state. The sheriff's office hopes the county's system will lead to a statewide palm and fingerprint system.

The funds were included in the Senate version of the fiscal year 2005 Commerce, Justice, and State Appropriations Bill, which passed through Committee yesterday. Cantwell hopes the House of Representatives will also approve funding for the system.