RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - A report shows more than 675,000 offenses haven’t been entered into Virginia’s main criminal record database because of missing fingerprints.
The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports the Virginia State Crime Commission report released Thursday says defendants were found guilty in around 58 percent of the cases. It found sizable gaps in criminal records used by law enforcement and others.
The Central Criminal Records Exchange requires fingerprints be included with the final court outcome in order for an offense to be applied to someone’s official criminal record. The database includes cases where the defendant was found guilty and cases where charges were dropped.
The report identified systemic flaws that seem to be contributing to the lack of fingerprints, including manpower and technology issues. Crime commission staff recommended regular reporting on incomplete records and other changes to tighten fingerprinting procedures.
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Information from: Richmond Times-Dispatch, http://www.richmond.com
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