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Council approves contract for private fingerprinting and notary services after privacy queries
Summary
The Norwalk City Council approved an agreement with Biometrics Identification Services to provide fingerprinting and notary services, with supporters saying it will free sworn officers for investigative work and the vendor will use the state-owned IDEMIA system; the vote was unanimous.
Council Member Eddy moved to authorize Chief James Walsh and the Norwalk Police Department to enter an agreement with Biometrics Identification Services to provide fingerprinting and notary services; the contract continues until terminated with 60 days' written notice. The council approved the item after discussion and a unanimous voice vote.
Chief James Walsh told the council that in-house fingerprinting currently requires about "12 hours a week" from a lieutenant and a civilian clerk, which pulls those employees away from investigative and technical duties. He said contracting would be "an efficient way of conducting business" and that the vendor would use the state-owned IDEMIA machine, which is a direct port to the state. Walsh stated there would be "no transfer of personal information or third-party information." Council Member Halston thanked the chief for the explanation and reiterated that privacy handling had been vetted during committee review. The contract was approved unanimously.
