The program maintains a database of 3 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. According to the 2023 AFIS annual report, officers performed 5,915 mobile ID searches; livescan terminals collected 49,424 sets of prints that year.
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.
The work has been funded by a property tax levy since 1986. The proposed levy renewal would levy 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 $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 adjusts as property values fluctuate. If property values increase, the levy rate decreases so that the program does not collect more than it needs. The previous levy renewal, approved by voters in 2018, cost 2.68 cents per $1,000 of assessed value in 2023.
Proponents of the program say that sharing fingerprinting services countywide is more cost-effective and results in faster resolution of criminal cases than if each jurisdiction had to set up their own systems.
King County Sheriff Patti Cole-Tindall, County Councilmember Pete von Reichbauer and Renton Chief of Police Jon Schuldt wrote the statement in favor of renewal in the voter guide. There is no statement in opposition.
For Seattle voters, it’s a single-issue ballot this April. Other jurisdictions must also decide on school funding and fire protection measures.
In Enumclaw, voters are being asked to approve a capital projects levy for the Enumclaw School District that would generate an estimated $3,000,000 a year for four years to pay for school facilities improvements.
On Mercer Island, voters are being asked to approve the issuance of $165 million in bonds to pay for upgrades and renovations at Islander Middle School and Mercer Island High School. Debt service on the bonds would be paid for through a property tax levy on homeowners.
Voters in the unincorporated community of Fairwood, southeast of Renton, will decide whether to merge King County Fire District 40 with the Renton Regional Fire Authority for fire protection and emergency medical services. Fairwood has contracted with Renton to provide emergency services for 17 years.
Finally, voters in Woodinville and Duvall are being asked to renew the “benefit charge” fee that pays for the majority of the operating budgets of Woodinville Fire & Rescue and Duvall Fire.
Ballots must be postmarked or returned to a King County Elections ballot box by 8 p.m. on April 22.
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