THOUSAND OAKS : Merchants Begin Taking Fingerprints

Merchants began fingerprinting customers at selected stores Monday under a new program run by the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department to prevent buyers from passing bad checks.

Under the plan, called Operation Check Print, merchants will request prints from customers who want to use high-risk checks to make their purchases, Sheriff’s Deputy Chris Lathrop said. High-risk checks include those drawn from out-of-town banks, those lacking a printed address or written for $200 or more of merchandise. Lathrop said the program is voluntary. But if a customer declines, the business may refuse to accept the check.

The 34 businesses participating in the fingerprinting program include banks and jewelry, camera and clothing stores, Lathrop said. The participating stores are in Thousand Oaks, Simi Valley and Moorpark, as well as Westlake Village in Los Angeles County.

The Sheriff’s Department uses thumbprints to track down and prosecute forgers and bad-check writers with past criminal records. Lathrop said the program is similar to others in place in 20 other communities across the state.

However, a spokesman for the American Civil Liberties Union in Los Angeles said fingerprinting raises concerns about how businesses will use the information against private citizens.

“It’s very unusual having private businesses engaging in fingerprinting,” said Jon Davidson, a senior staff attorney with the ACLU of Southern California.

Under a law that went into effect in January, merchants are barred from requesting a major credit card as identification.

Lathrop said the Sheriff’s Department will get a copy of the thumbprint only when a business reports a crime.

Some retailers, including the Gold Works on Avenida de los Arboles, have embraced the concept. Store owner Ron Karlsson said prosecuting people who write bad checks is nearly impossible.

The program was endorsed by officials from the Conejo Valley and Westlake Village chambers of commerce and the Sheriff’s Department during a ceremony at The Oaks Mall.

Thousand Oaks Mayor Frank Schillo said some people may object to leaving a thumbprint with a merchant. But Schillo defended the program. “It is a good thing, and it’s not an inconvenience for them to do it,” he said.

On the first day of the program, customers at one store in Thousand Oaks said they were uncomfortable with leaving a thumbprint and chose to use cash instead of writing a check, Lathrop said.