Anthony

In the 1983-1984 fiscal year the Legislature appropriated funds to the Department of Justice (DOJ) to commence a multiyear project to automate its manual fingerprint files and to establish an automated statewide system for identifying latent fingerprints. (See Stats. 1985, ch. 1234, § 1, subd. (a), p. 4242.) In 1985 the Legislature acted to codify the DOJ’s authority to develop the system and to provide financial assistance to local law enforcement agencies for the acquisition of remote access equipment. (Stats. 1985, ch. 1234, § 1, subd. (b), p. 4242; see Pen. Code, § 11112.1 et seq.) The system is known as the “California Identification System” or “Cal-ID.” (Pen. Code, § 11112.1, subd. (a).) The uniform network of equipment and procedures which allows local law enforcement agencies to have direct access to Cal-ID is referred to as the “Remote Access Network” or “RAN.” (Pen. Code, § 11112.1, subd. (b).)

In 1989 the DOJ proposed to develop a live-scan fingerprinting network to operate in conjunction with Cal-ID and RAN. A live-scan device electronically scans a subject’s fingers to produce an image which can be reduced to a hard-copy fingerprint card by an attached…