The times of waiting three to six months for your fingerprint analysis are over thanks to a new machine at the St. Paul RCMP station called a LiveScan Real Time Identification Device, which was put into use at the beginning of December.
Around 20 of these devices were installed in various locations throughout Alberta while over 36 have been adopted in police jurisdictions across Canada. Thanks to these machines, what would normally take months now takes days.
"It’s something I’ve been working on for quite awhile now," MP Brian Storseth said. "It was creating a real problem, especially in our rural communities for people who were just looking to volunteer or they’ve got a job on the line and they have to get their fingerprint stuff done up. Their employer doesn’t necessarily want to wait three to six months."
"I think it’s important we have one here in St. Paul," he added. "This is kind of the hub of the Lakeland area. The two governments tried to spread these out in the most efficient manner to fast track Albertans and serve Albertans."
Aside from the amount of time this new technology will save people when they need to do a criminal record check, Storseth said one of the intentions of having these machines was to ward off potentially dangerous people entering particular lines of work.
"It’s very important to realize that it helps stop the pedophiles and some of these others that were taking advantage of the system before," he said. "I hope it will speed up the process here in St. Paul so that we can make it more effective and efficient for our citizens. It’s a way to protect our children and our youth, which is very important in our society. We’ve dealt with lots of people for the last year on this, trying to get them through the system quicker. From teachers to people who just want to go and volunteer at the local Boys and Girls Club."
The creation of this technology is also in response to the enhanced screening processes implemented in 2010, where fingerprints became mandatory in Vulnerable Sector Checks if the applicant’s age and gender matched that of a pardoned sex offender.
The new I.D. devices are equipped with a computer that reads the fingerprints and displays them on screen where officers may enter the appropriate information. There is also a camera for photo identification and a scanner for drivers’ licences.
"We love it," said Alison Fleming, the department clerk at the St. Paul RCMP. "That one machine basically does all the prints for the detachment. We’re getting our results back within seven to 10 days and at some point in the near future we’ll get them back right away.”
Every Wednesday the detachment will do prints for people who come from Cold Lake, Bonnyville, Two Hills, Elk Point and the surrounding area, she added. "It’s a little more work for us, but people can come in and get this done in such a short time that we’re glad we’re able to help. We know that people who had come in prior to the machine have lost volunteer and employment opportunities just because it was taking so long for them to get their criminal record check."
Before this machine was installed, ink fingerprints were taken and then sent to Ottawa where they are processed before being returned in the mail usually months after. According to records, the department in Ottawa was receiving up to 800 sets of fingerprints a day from all over Canada.
Both Storseth and Fleming said new technology will soon be available where those getting a criminal records check can receive results within a day.