New FBI policy leads Prairie Village to purchase $53,000 fingerprinting system

The Prairie Village police department will be getting a new high-tech gadget soon — but it’s not a holiday present. In fact, it’s essentially a requirement to comply with a new FBI policy.

The city council last week approved the purchase of an electronic fingerprinting system for the police. The system has two components, a permanent cabinet style unit and a portable unit at a total cost of $53,000. The funds will be taken from the city’s equipment reserve fund.

The department had been looking into electronic fingerprinting systems for a while, but the decision to move forward with a request to the council came after the FBI announced it would no longer accept inked finger prints after April 1, 2012. Municipalities that can’t afford the devices will have to make arrangements with county or state law enforcement offices that have them.