It has been funded by a voter-approved property tax levy since 1986. The newly approved levy renewal will impose a tax of 2.75 cents per $1,000 of assessed home value for seven years, beginning in 2026. For the owner of a median-priced home in King County — currently about $915,000 — the levy would cost $25 per year. In 2023, the levy brought in $23.3 million from property taxes and another $1.9 million from investment interest.
According to the county, the rate will adjust as property values fluctuate. If property values increase, the levy rate decreases so that the program does not collect more than it needs.
The program maintains a database of three million print records and provides 295 mobile fingerprint identification devices for field use, plus 56 “livescan” terminals that record fingerprints and palm prints at police stations, correctional facilities and government offices.
AFIS staff also assist in crime-scene evidence processing, examining prints collected at crime scenes and collecting mugshots and DNA evidence, among other law enforcement services.
Supporters argue that the shared countywide system is more cost-effective and helps solve crimes faster than if each jurisdiction had to set up its own fingerprinting system.
There wasn’t an official No campaign opposing the levy renewal. The ACLU of Washington’s technology policy director, Tee Shannon, told The Stranger she has concerns about the lack of public transparency around how the system works. But the organization did not take an official position on the ballot measure.
As of Tuesday night, 254,172 ballots have been counted, a 17.8% turnout. It can take several days or even a week for all vote-by-mail results to be tallied.
King County Elections will release its next round of results around 4 p.m. Wednesday.
