BACKGROUND

In May of 2005, the Pennsylvania Chiefs of Police Association (PCPA) requested concept papers from agencies who want to incorporate and implement the technologies used for offender identification to create offender identification and preliminary arraignment processing (central booking) on a regional or countywide basis.  These concept papers were reviewed on a competitive basis by a committee and the accepted proposals would be incorporated in a single grant application to the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD).  A total of $700,000 in federal funds was expected to be provided by PCCD to support this effort. 

Clinton County's Criminal Justice Advisory Board (CCCJAB) decided to submit a concept paper assigning the task to Suzy Watson, Clinton County's IT Director.  With input from all county law enforcement agencies (including the Pennsylvania State Police), the county's three District Judges, and advisement and review from GIS Director Jim Watson and City Police Chief Elwood Hocker, a concept paper was created and submitted.  In July of 2005 the CCCJAB received notification that our concept paper was selected to receive $68,510 in funding to implement a central booking facility at the Clinton County Correctional Facility in McElhattan.

 

What is Central Booking?

 It is a process through which law enforcement can quickly verify an arrested person’s past criminal history through fingerprints; properly add current arrest information; capture and record their facial image, scars, marks, and tattoos; and present all the information to the District Judge for preliminary arraignment while holding arrestee in a secure facility.

Using national and state standards, the project integrates the technologies of livescan fingerprinting, automated fingerprint identification, digital photography (CPIN), video conferencing, and computerized databases.  Within 1 hour information becomes available nationwide.   

CPIN
  Commonwealth Photo Image Network (CPIN)

When an offender is processed through our central booking facility, digital photographs will be taken of the face, scars, marks, and tattoos in a statewide standard format.  These images then become available to all other users of the CPIN within minutes of the arrest.  This means that a person arrested in Erie can be used in a line-up in Philadelphia minutes after their arrest. 

Livescan
Livescan and Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS)

When an offender is processed through our central booking facility, an electronic digital signature of their finger and palm prints are captured.  These finger/palm print images are sent to the AFIS while offender demographics are forwarded to the Criminal Record History Information System.  When a person is arrested and booked through the livescan fingerprint network, the system verifies their fingerprints and provides the arresting agency a RAP sheet over CLEAN within minutes.  This integrated statewide livescan network provides for the rapid identification of offenders automatically.  Once the prints are submitted to livescan, the information goes directly to JNET which provides immediate notification to probation and parole for violators wanted by them.  In the same manner, the Department of Corrections is notified when the person arrested is an escapee.  Through AFIS, all prints are also compared against latent crime scene prints that may link an offender to an unsolved crime.  All prints collected become available locally, statewide and nationwide (including the FBI).

LIVESCAN Fact Sheet


TouchPrint 3800 LiveScan
http://www.identix.com/products/pro_livescan_3800.html


Video Arraignment

Polycom VSX 3000
Polycom VSX 3000

During the booking process, a preliminary arraignment may be necessary.  With central booking, an offender will not need to be transported to the District Judge's office to be arraigned, rather they can stay at the secure booking facility until dismissed, released on bail, or incarcerated.

Polycom VSX 3000 (District Judge's Office)
Judicial Wall Unit (Central Booking Facility)

 

Anticipated Impact

Central Booking Centers have the potential to impact the criminal justice system in a positive way.  The ultimate impact of the booking center is its effect on processing a suspect in an efficient manner that provides cost savings to the county and enhances safety for our community. 

           Increased Public Safety:

Officers return to patrol quicker

Offender is positively identified through biometrics (fingerprints, facial recognition, scars, markings, tattoos)

Risk factors are rapidly identified

Offender is secured in one location until identified and arraigned reducing escape probability and liability

Automatic notifications sent to DA, Probation, and Parole through JNET within minutes while offender in custody

            Increased Homeland Security:

Offender’s biometrics are checked automatically against State and Federal databases while they are in custody

            Increased Productivity:

Officers return to patrol quicker

Redundant data entry eliminated and mistakes     reduced

            Reduced Costs:

Offender transportation

Lost time waiting for preliminary arraignment

Booking staff vs. sworn salary

            Increased Decision Making:

Prosecutor’s see case at arrest

Offender’s identity and criminal history are available for preliminary arraignment

Evidence gathering needs rapidly identified

            Increased Offender Protection:

Secure facility without need for movement

Better access to public defenders/lawyers

Medical needs uniformly identified

 

Current Procedure Weaknesses 

Through the information gathering process to prepare the concept paper, many weaknesses with current procedures were identified.

            Public Safety/Homeland Security:

Officers spend excessive time processing offender instead of patrolling beat

Fingerprints collected with ink and placed on 4 separate cards

Prone to error

Fingerprints not entered into State or National systems or any checks run for weeks/months after collected

If errors found with prints, cannot require offender to be re-printed

No guarantee that offender will follow court order to appear for fingerprinting after arraignment

                     Transportation issues

                                      Cost, time, and liability of transporting
                                          offenders to District Judge for
                                          arraignment followed by transporting
                                          offenders from District Judge to the
                                          Correctional Facility (especially when
                                          Renovo DJ is on call and all offenders
                                          are processed in Renovo)

               Lost time waiting for arraignment

               Lost time/cost involved calling in additional officers for
                    offender transportation and female offenders

          Offender Identification:

                No means currently available to identify offenders or
                    associated risk factors while in custody

                Wants, warrants, and criminal history are not always
                    available before arraignment while offender is in
                    custody

                Unidentified violent or wanted offenders return to society
                    threatening public safety or may abscond.

  Secure Holding Facilities:

With the exception of the County’s Sheriff’s      Department, no other law enforcement facility in Clinton County has humane holding facilities

Increased escape or injury liabilities (offender and law enforcement) while in custody

  Offender Data Collection:

Data collected not shared outside of arresting agency and in most agencies data is collected in paper (not electronic) format

Data and photographs not available or standardized to other local, state, or federal agencies

No procedures in place to prevent data loss during a catastrophic event

Summation

The ultimate impact of a central booking facility is its effect on processing a suspect in an efficient manner that provides systemic inter-operability, cost savings to the participants, while at the same time enhancing public safety.  Implementation will provide complete offender identification and processing for Clinton County in its entirety.   Every person arrested in our county will be electronically fingerprinted and photographed, have their state and FBI Criminal History Record automatically updated, the District Attorney’s office notified, and the arrested person is quickly and efficiently presented for their preliminary arraignment.  Securing this Grant will maximize the efforts of a limited number of law enforcement officers within the County while at the same time enhancing criminal justice efforts with extraordinary results. 
 

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