New technology helping to confirm status of arrested immigrants

Nov 2, 2010

LEBANON, OHIO — A new partnership with federal authorities is helping law enforcement in Warren and Clark counties use fingerprints to identify the status of immigrants who have been arrested.
(Hurrah, two more Ohio counties. Warren is near Cinci and Clark is Springfield, OH)

The partnership is part of the federal Secure Communities program in which suspects booked into the county jails have their fingerprints reviewed by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency to identify and remove foreign nationals convicted of crimes in the U.S., in addition to an FBI criminal history check.

Warren County Chief Deputy John Newsom said the new system, which has been in place since Nov. 2, has streamlined the process.

When someone is arrested and booked into jail, his or her fingerprints are taken and sent to the FBI to check for past criminal histories, according to federal officials. The new system now includes data sharing with ICE that will compare that information to whatever immigration information is on file for that suspect.

Newsom said that if there is a hit on that person from the computer system, ICE then requests more information or biographical material, such as a photograph, for further evaluation of the suspect’s background.

He said if the suspect is wanted or has been convicted of crimes elsewhere in the U.S., ICE puts a detainer on the suspect who then goes through the federal criminal system. ICE is also focusing on suspects who have been convicted of serious crimes, such as major drug offenses, murder, rape, robbery and kidnapping.

Newsom said Warren County may have “a handfulâ€