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When someone sends the FBI a digital request for a fingerprint comparison from anywhere in the country, they usually receive a response within seconds. This impressive feat is powered by the FBI NGI System, which houses over 161 million fingerprint records. 

FBI Director Christopher Wray spoke at the FBI's Criminal Justice Information Services Division in Clarksburg, West Virginia. He emphasized that the Next Generation Identification System (NGI) is a vital tool for law enforcement agencies across the country and around the world.

In his talk July 10, 2024, Wray celebrated 100 years of fingerprints and criminal history records at the FBI.

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The Legacy of the FBI NGI System

The NGI System is managed out of the Clarksburg division. This secure campus, three hours west of Washington, D.C., serves as the hub for the vast database that has revolutionized the way fingerprints are used in criminal investigations.

The celebration marked the establishment of the FBI’s Identification Division on July 1, 1924, which consolidated 810,000 fingerprint files from various sources, including the United States Penitentiary in Leavenworth, Kansas, and the National Bureau of Criminal Identification.

Evolution of Fingerprint Technology

Director Wray detailed the historical significance of fingerprint technology in criminal investigations, stating, "I’m proud that we’ve maintained that focus on growing our capabilities, because there’s simply no other way to remain as effective as a law enforcement and intelligence agency when the threats are as dynamic and evolving as they are today." 

He also highlighted new biometric modalities, such as facial recognition, palm prints, and iris scans, which will enhance the FBI’s future capabilities. For example, NGI's National Iris Service enables non-contact enrollment of iris images, linking them to corresponding fingerprint records.

Artifacts spanning the fingerprint repository's century-long history were displayed for visitors, including vintage fingerprint cards, magnifiers, and colored pencils used by fingerprint examiners. A gallery illustrated the evolution from ink rollers and paper cards to today's digital mobile devices.

The Digital Transformation

Tim Ferguson, acting assistant director of the CJIS Division, remarked, "This anniversary highlights the evolution of the biometrics program within the FBI. It’s amazing to me that we had the same type of fingerprint index from 1924 until 1999, with hundreds of file cabinets in a warehouse requiring manual identification and comparisons."

Prior to the digital era, fingerprint examiners manually searched through filing cabinets to find matching fingerprints. 

The implementation of the Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System (IAFIS) in 1999 marked the beginning of digitized fingerprints at the FBI. Millions of paper cards were scanned and made accessible via computers, significantly enhancing the efficiency of fingerprint examinations.

By the end of the 20th century, the transition from paper to digital was nearly complete. In fiscal year 2023, manual examinations constituted only 3% of requests, while most comparisons were automated. CJIS processed 74 million fingerprints that year and registered its one-billionth electronic transaction.

The NGI System and Future Innovations

In 2014, NGI replaced IAFIS, expanding biometric modalities beyond fingerprints to include irises, palm prints, tattoos, scars, and marks.

 Ferguson explained, "Whereas fingerprints will always be the staple and backbone of identification, we're always looking for ways to revolutionize the way we identify individuals."

The FBI also manages DNA, another highly accurate identification modality, through the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) at the FBI Laboratory in Quantico, Virginia. CODIS compares target DNA records against database records, similar to how NGI handles fingerprints.

Director Wray concluded the event by paying tribute to the generations of FBI employees who advanced the Bureau's capabilities. "They’ve shown us that, while our adversaries can be formidable, working with our partners across law enforcement, we—the good guys—can be unstoppable," Wray said.

 "And I believe that if we continue on this road, with an enduring commitment to innovation and our partnerships, we’ll stay on the cutting edge of criminal justice technology."