County Buys $2.9-Million Fingerprint Computer

A $2.9-million computer system that matches fingerprints in seconds has been purchased for use by law-enforcement agencies in Orange County, Sheriff-Coroner Brad Gates and Supervisor Thomas F. Riley said at a press conference Tuesday.

The California Identification System, or Cal-ID, will save fingerprint analysts hundreds of research hours as it searches millions of fingerprints stored in information banks in an attempt to match them with prints found at a crime scene, said Chief Criminalist Frank Fitzpatrick of the sheriff-coroner’s office.

“It’s as penicillin is to medicine,” said Larry Ragle, director of Orange County forensic services. “There’s never been anything like it.”

Scans Records in Seconds

“In a matter of seconds, literally,” the system can provide the name of a suspect and a printout of his fingerprints or others that resemble the print being searched, Gates said.

The Cal-ID system is credited with making the fingerprint match that led police to Night Stalker suspect Richard Ramirez. The system in Orange County will be only the seventh in the state, Gates said.

When fully operational in November, Cal-ID will be able to search through 250,000 prints in an Orange County data bank or, if necessary, in a statewide data bank with more than 5 million prints, Gates said. The Orange County system, which has a capacity to store 4 million fingerprints, will permit Orange County investigators to search through the data banks of other agencies with similar systems.

Cal-ID is expected to find matches for 20% of all prints entered into it. Today, “we’re lucky if we get 1%.” Gates said.

Four input terminals--based in Santa Ana, Costa Mesa, Anaheim and Garden Grove--will link with the main computer housed at the sheriff’s headquarters in Santa Ana.

The Board of Supervisors unanimously approved the purchase Tuesday, Riley said. It is being paid for jointly by the state, and county and city governments, he said. Under legislation passed last year, the state will finance 70% of the total equipment cost, while local governments pay the rest.