KBI overhauls state fingerprint database

TOPEKA (KSNT) - The Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) announced it has finished a nearly $6.9 million overhaul of the state's fingerprinting database.

The system, called the Automatic Biometric Identification System (ABIS), will be replacing the former system, called the Automated Fingerprinting Identification System (AFIS). According to the KBI, the old system was outdated and was unable to be supported or maintained.

“The upgrade to ABIS will aid the criminal justice community in countless ways. This new technology makes the process of identifying individuals and determining if they have a criminal history record much more seamless,” said KBI Director Tony Mattivi.

According to the KBI, the system includes:

• Searches of fingerprints and palm prints when no suspects have been developed.
• Searches new arrest and civil records against unsolved latent fingerprint and palm print records.
• Searches fingerprints against the NGI Criminal Fingerprint Database.
• Provides a connection to the Missouri AFIS for print searches.

The new system holds more than two million fingerprint records and over 590,000 palm prints. The system interacts with the FBI's Next Generation Identification system.

The KBI said numerous law enforcement agencies have experienced improvements since ABIS went live on May 1, 2024.

“We know crime extends beyond the boundaries of cities, counties and states, so law enforcement agencies must have a reliable way to exchange identity records in order to solve complex crimes. Kansas’s ABIS now meets this challenge,” Mattivi said.

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