FY18 Paul Coverdell Forensic Science Improvement Grants Program - Competitive

The South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation is a part of the Attorney General’s Office, and has, as part of its mission, the responsibility to oversee the South Dakota Forensic Lab, which uses the Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS) daily in order to accomplish their work.

The current AFIS system in use is significantly outdated, at the end of its life expectancy, and in danger of failure. The DCI will use funds from the 2018 Coverdell Competitive Grant to offset the major expense of upgrading this system.

This project is extensive, lengthy, and is expected to cost in excess of $2.2 Million dollars. These costs can be separated into two different areas of focus, with approximately $1.8 Million dollars used in the initial system upgrade, which includes data conversion, storage, and associated software and hardware. It is in this area where Coverdell Competitive funding will be used to offset costs. The second area of focus includes individual workstations, software and hardware for the employees to utilize in their work. These costs are anticipated at $400,000 and will be accounted for with other funding sources.

Anticipated outcomes for the upgrade include increased accuracy regarding comparisons made in the AFIS system, more successful matches from latent prints to database prints, and a more robust matching capability regarding reverse searches. Additional outcomes include the long term viability and security of the AFIS system for the end users in South Dakota. The proposed AFIS upgrade is not directly or specifically related to the opioid crisis.

ca/ncf