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AlexKilpatrick wrote:I've worked in biometrics (fingerprints, face, and iris) for the past seven years, and crossed paths with L-1 several times during my career. I've written programs that convert paper fingerprint cards to electronic records, and deployed the software to Iraq, Afghanistan, and several other countries, where it was used to digitize old fingerprint cards -- more variety than you can imagine. In one country, the fingerprint cards varied every couple of months because someone would just "freehand" a new template whenever they ran out.

If you talk to forensic fingerprint examiners who deal with latent (crime scene) prints, they actually *prefer* ink to electronic. Ink is much higher resolution than electronic prints, which are only 500 dpi. With ink you can often make out individual sweat pores, which can be critical in the event of a latent match. However, ink takes a little more skill because you can't easily "do over" like you can with electronic systems. However, there is nothing magic about electronic systems; I have seen plenty of electronic fingerprint submissions that were essentially unusable because of poor operators.

When you are talking about a 10-print match, which the state/FBI uses, either electronic or paper will give you a very easy match, assuming the enrollment is not absolute garbage. I can understand the state/FBI only wanting electronic *submissions* because that makes their life a lot easier and lowers their labor. However, I don't really understand the requirement for electronic *collection*. There is absolutely no reason they should not take paper prints that have been converted to electronic records. Converting from paper to electronic is just not a big deal.

I'm actually working in a biometric start-up right now. I considered offering a service to allow CHL instructors to take paper fingerprints, mail them to us, and then have us digitize them and submit to the state. That would really help people in remote areas. However, after a little bit of research I learned that L-1 has a total lock on the process. In my opinion, this is totally ridiculous. The state should set the standard for what they will accept, and let anyone provide anything that meets those requirements.

sjfcontrol wrote:

Vecco wrote:

sjfcontrol wrote:As of today, it's no longer "almost". L-1 is required by DPS.

Wow I hope they make it more user frindly. I tried L1 but all the locations on the " List" were no longer doing it// My only option was to go to Austin, that was 3 years ago.

Not sure what you mean by "it", but all L-1 locations are doing CHL prints now -- or at least they are all supposed to be doing them.

sjfcontrol wrote:As of today, it's no longer "almost". L-1 is required by DPS.

smiller1939 wrote:In my humble opinion, the Concealed Handgun Licensing Unit of the Texas Department of Public Safety is, in effect, killing the Texas CHL law by requiring all new applicant fingerprints be obtained from only one source: L1 Solutions. First this seems to me to be a major conflict between a private business and a governmental agency, particularly with the governmental agency promoting the private business on their web site and then secondly, by forcing the public to obtain their fingerprints from the only game in the state. To me at least, this appears to be a major impropriety. Now how is this killing the handgun law? If a new applicant lives in a major city the most they may have to travel to obtain the fingerprints is across the city, which in the case of Dallas, Houston, Austin and even San Antonio, may be a major drive, but the folks who live in smaller cities throughout Texas will need to travel to a major city to get their prints taken at one of the locations of L1 Solutions, which are very few and far between, and then probably will need to again return to the closest city where a class is held. With the law changing to allow Texas citizens the right to carry a weapon in their car without a license, what incentive is present to drive all over the city/state to obtain the fingerprints (from the only game in town) and then drive all over the city/state to take the class. There is none as DPS has done away with one stop shopping thereby making the obtaining of a concealed handgun license a more complex, costly and time consuming event. I’m not sure this is what Jerry Patterson and Suzanna Hupp had in mind.

Sorry, this probably should have been posted to General Texas CHL Discussion