Police department offers fingerprinting

WINSTED — According to Winchester Police Chief William Fitzgerald, Connecticut State Police Bureau of Identification Criminal Records Unit and Fingerprint Identification Unit are nearing the implementation of the modernized Criminal History and Fingerprint Identification systems, scheduled for July 26.

Effective July 19, the current fingerprinting service will no longer be accepted by the Connecticut State Police Bureau of Identification Criminal Records Unit and Fingerprint Identification Unit. Winsted police resumed its fingerprinting service July 26. This is mandated by the state of Connecticut. Fitzgerald said.

The pre-enrollment system: Each applicant must be registered in the CCHRS system prior to fingerprinting. When the registration is complete, the applicant will be assigned a unique identification number (Applicant Tracking Number). A PDF document with the Applicant Tracking Number and instructions for obtaining fingerprinting services will be emailed to the applicant. The applicant is required to print the PDF document and bring it to the fingerprinting location. The Applicant Tracking Number will be used at the LiveScan to electronically retrieve the applicant’s pre-enrollment information prior to fingerprinting.

This seamless transfer of data will streamline the processing of the fingerprint-based criminal history checks. If the fingerprints are printed to a hard card, the Applicant Tracking Number must be submitted with the hard card to be processed. The hard card will be returned to the requesting agency if the Applicant Tracking Number is not included. While the Hard Card slows the process in comparison to a LiveScan electronic submission, the pre-enrollment registration speeds the search and return of results.

The system has assigned a service code for each combination of agency and applicant type. The eight-character Service Code is used for uniquely identifying the Winchester Police Department, Reason for Fingerprinting (RFP), price, and other defining data for the transaction.

The use of the Service Code ensures that applicants are being printed for the correct purpose. The distribution of the Service Code is dependent on the Winchester Police Department to confirm the correct applicants receive the correct service number.

Applicants are required to register/pre-enroll and will not be able to register without the appropriate valid service code. Payments for fingerprint-based criminal history requests will be processed online using the CCHRS Pre-Enrollment system. Fees will be determined based on Reason for Fingerprinting, payable online and not including the Winchester Police Department fees.

The Winchester Police Department fee for fingerprinting will remain $70. The fee is due when prints are provided.

Ben Lambert / Hearst Connecticut Media File photo The Winchester Police Department in Winsted.