ALBANY – Governor Andrew Cuomo has announced nearly $710,000 in state grants to 51 police departments and sheriffs’ offices across the state – including here in Chautauqua County – for the purchase of electronic fingerprinting equipment. This new equipment will replace existing devices that either malfunction or are obsolete.
All fingerprints taken in connection with arrests must be submitted electronically to the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services – the state’s repository of criminal history record information – and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Digital fingerprint technology enables law enforcement agencies and the courts to instantly receive an arrestee’s positive identification and any past criminal history and warrant information from the state. This information is crucial in determining how cases against arrested individuals proceed, including whether bail is set by the court.
The maximum grant awarded for each device was $10,000. Each of the grant recipients must provide a 50 percent local match as this technology benefits both local law enforcement agencies and the state.
The Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Office received a total of $43,989 to be used for the purchase of two devices in Mayville, along with one each for the Fredonia, Ellicott, Jamestown and Dunkirk police departments.
The Division of Criminal Justice Services expects to administer another round of funding for the equipment in 2016.
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