TexasCHLforum.com

I hear a lot of people who are getting Florida permits very quickly because they can use electronic fingerprints which can be transmitted directly to the FBI. Is there any reason why we don't use these in Texas? Is it possible to use them in Texas for a CHL? I know we do electronic thumbprinting for DLs.

Seems like it could drastically reduce turnaround times and overhead.

I've heard of people having problems with the electronic prints not coming out properly or sheriff's offices not allowing people into the printing area. I have a FL CHL application here on my desk and I was thinking about getting the electronic prints the next time I go to FL just to see how it works. I am curious too. :D

From my experience, I would _strongly_ suggest submitting your prints electronically to FDLE (Florida Dept of Law Enforcement) for your FL CCW application. Last year I flew to Tallahassee and got printed at the Leon County Sheriff's Office. (It's not far from the airport, by the way, good people at the office who did not get all excited & hyperventilated about someone applying for CCW. YMMV dramatically elsewhere.) I flew down and got printed before 12pm, completed my application with photos, notarization, etc and dropped it in the mail ~3pm. Less than 3 weeks later, I got my FL CCW in the mail. It was that fast. Be sure to exactly follow the directions (provided on FL's Dept of Ag & Consumer Svcs website and with the materials enclosed with your application), and you should be good to go.

Let me emphasise: You will get a paper receipt when you submit the prints electronically at the Sheriff's Office. DO NOT lose this! IIRC, you must include this receipt with the application. I think you also have to write the code # or something like that on the application itself.

Contrast this with my NY pistol permit application a few years back. (Upstate NY, not NYC. BIG difference.) Applied in April, had to wait nearly 6 full months until I got my permit in the mail, signed by the judge. (Just in time for the election a couple of weeks later.) I still had to go to the county clerk to sign it and get my thumbprint on the chit. (It's a chit because in the county where I got it, it is a small rectangle of paper that can get easily mutilated over the years, unlike the nice, laminated cards you get in states with more modern CCW programs.)

I get my prints done electronically at DPS in Austin.Right there at Crime Records where you turn in your CHL app.,they come out perfect.I think they charged $10...

I had mine done originally at the CHL class and DPS rejected them when I turned in my app. They did them on AFIS in Austin, like J.D.'s and they know immediately if they are good. They just look at them on the monitor and they see how they are going to print out. Plus, no ink! Great innovation, indeed!

electronic print machines are really expensive. tarrant county has the electronic print machine, but it's in the booking area and i doubt a lot of people want to cruise on into that place. we looked into one, but the price tag was like $10K to $15K. DPS has been really picky about their ink prints lately though.

I know very little about the electronic prints, but if there is no ink, I am all for it. I have one finger that is bent at a weird angle and guarantied, that finger will smear. If the print taker would let me do that finger, no problems. I can roll it correctly, but when someone else does it, they try to force the finger and there ain't no way.
I have 3 sets of prints in Austin and they can only read nine digits on each set. So far, none have bounced.
Every thing else is electronic, why not fingerprints.

Dutchman