Prison Board Considers Central Booking System

by Jonathan Weaver

A low rate of criminal fingerprinting county-wide has caused Prison Board officials to start thinking of a solution.

County Sheriff Bill Rupert – who was re-appointed as Prison Board president – confirmed Criminal Justice Advisory Board reports of the booking rate.

“Statistics prove that we’re low in the county as far as our percentage of arrests versus how many people are being fingerprinted – and that’s a critical (step),” Sheriff Rupert said. “Fingerprinting goes on for sentencing.

“Actually, right now, Armstrong County’s running about 58 percent for 2016 – meaning only 58 percent of the people who were arrested got fingerprinted.”

Commissioner Chair Pat Fabian proposed a solution.

“That seems like a vital tool for law enforcement, whether you’re a county detective, sheriff or municipality (officer),” Fabian said. “I guess the question is, could we house that (at the Armstrong County Jail)?”

Commissioners sent a letter to municipalities asking for their possible financial commitment to the central booking system – a system that would cost approximately $10,000 in annual maintenance.

District Attorney Scott Andreassi – re-appointed as Prison Board vice-president – said commissioners should also ask municipal elected officials another question.

“Part of (commissioners’) discussion when talking to municipalities not only has to be ‘Will you support the placement of this?’ (but) ‘Will your departments take advantage of it?’” What we found in the past is, Apollo/North Apollo/Kiski may arrest somebody, but it’s when it’s convenient that they get them fingerprinted,” Andreassi said. “The initial thought was to put (the booking system) at the magistrate’s office with their old-fashioned ink systems.”

Limited success has been gauged with a central booking system at the Armstrong County Courthouse, even though police departments have access to machines housed by the Probation department and at the Pennsylvania State Police barracks in East Franklin Township.

Current inkless fingerprint cards utilized by the county’s 17 municipal police departments are mailed to Pennsylvania State
Police officials in Harrisburg to check for a “good print,” but the Probation and State Police machines – including the system that was brainstormed for the jail - can automatically detect its authenticity.

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