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Crime & Safety

Elmhurst Cops Tired of Having to Go To Oakbrook Terrace to Have Suspects Fingerprinted

Broken equipment is causing "a manpower issue," police chief says.

Elmhurst Police Department's fingerprinting equipment has decided to "retire," and its timing is problematic. The department is seeing a period of many "guests," as police officials politely call them.

Elmhurst police are currently without a quick way to fingerprint arrestees and get a quick response from the FBI as to who he or she may be—and may be wanted for.

The Public Affairs and Safety Committee Monday approved a $40,000 expense for a new device that allows the city to communicate with the FBI's Automated Fingerprint Identification System. The LiveScan system allows police to scan a person's prints and get a response from the FBI in under two hours. The system also includes the software and hardware needed to take mug shots.

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According to Police Chief Steven Neubauer, the city's currently nonfunctional LiveScan is about seven years old, has been rebuilt three times, and there are no parts available for it.

Although police can often easily identify suspects, there are those who can't or won't give correct information. With the AFIS system inoperable, Neubauer reported, Elmhurst police have had to transport suspects to the Oakbrook Terrace police station to use that city's LiveScan system. Elmhurst police can take mugshots with a digital camera, but then those files have to be integrated with other case files.

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“It's a manpower issue. It's an officer safety issue,” Neubauer said.

Aldermen asked Neubauer to also purchase an extended warranty for the system, which will bump up the cost by a few thousand dollars.

The request will go to the full City Council for approval in early September.

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