Prior to SAFIS, processing a positive fingerprint identification of a suspect could take months. Prior to SAFIS, it was not unheard of for a criminal suspect to be placed in jail, released on bond by a magistrate, charged by a district attorney, meet with their defense attorney, and attend the first court appearance before being identified as a person with a criminal record. Since its initial implementation in 1986, SAFIS has resolved this problem by greatly reducing the time it takes to find a positive fingerprint match. The suspect can now be identified within two hours, instead of several weeks or months.

SAFIS receives and processes electronic and manually rolled fingerprint card submissions for criminal identifications, job applications, background checks, and requests for permits to carry a concealed weapon. SAFIS accepts, stores, and retrieves scanned fingerprint data, and performs automated searches and comparisons. In addition, SAFIS maintains a direct secure network link to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) to support the exchange of arrest record information and identification results at a national level. SAFIS serves as the statewide resource for positively identifying repeat offenders and unknown criminals using latent fingerprint evidence from crime scenes.

SAFIS is currently linked to North Carolina’s computerized criminal history files (CCH). Once the fingerprint card has been processed by the SBI, personal information and charge-related data are automatically forwarded to CCH. Existing criminal history records are automatically updated or a new criminal history record is established. Maintaining the link between SAFIS and CCH is essential to the law enforcement community. SAFIS is also linked to the SBI’s fingerprint database, which electronically archives criminal fingerprint cards.