City of Buckeye Police Department Mobile Fingerprint Scanning Devices to connect to a database where fingerprints are stored to aid in people who are not willing to identify themselves to officers.

The City of Buckeye spans 640 square miles and has a population of approximately 114,000. Approximately 20,000 people reside in federally designated disadvantaged neighborhoods within Buckeye. Buckeye is one of the fastest growing cities in the country. Buckeye is only 15% built out and is estimated to have a population of 295,400 people by 2040, according to the Maricopa Association of Governments (MAG). Buckeye Police Department (BPD) saw a 21.5% increase in calls for service from 2021 (43,343) to 2023 (52,665). This increase in calls for service is projected to continually increase as the City’s population continues to grow. BPD currently has 136 total sworn personnel and at least a 10% shortage of sworn officers. This requires BPD to evaluate ways to ensure that their officers’ time is being utilized efficiently. BPD currently employs a community policing model wherein officers frequently encounter individuals who do not have identification cards, refuse to provide their identification information, or provide false identification information to officers. This makes identification of individuals difficult as BPD is currently operating with stationary fingerprint scanner technologies and do not have mobile fingerprint scanner devices. BPD officers not only have a difficult time identifying individuals, but also experience delays in identifying individuals, as the officers must transport the individual to the BPD station where the stationary fingerprint scanner is housed; time that could be utilized aiding more citizens who request BPD’s assistance. This grant project seeks to enhance and support BPD’s goal of a culture of accountability and performance, provide transparency within the community, and provide accurate records of law enforcement related interactions to protect parties from false allegations.

BPD seeks to resolve these inefficiencies through the addition of mobile fingerprint scanning devices. BPD is requesting funding for the purchase of 1 Evolution 4502w mobile fingerprint scanning device (comes with 4 units) and 2 Evolution-3 Devices with Single fingerprint capture (comes with 1 unit). These mobile fingerprinting devices will enable BPD officers to quickly identify individuals in the field, as well as determine if individuals scanned have a criminal history or are wanted for crimes by syncing with Federal and State fingerprint databases. This information is crucial to officer safety, as the device alerts officers of potential dangers that may be faced when interacting with individuals.