New process leaves lasting im'print' on criminal background checks

Observer Staff

1/25/2005 12:00:00 AM

Direct electronic fingerprint submission is now possible for the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe's Gaming Commission.

The effort started about four years ago with the National Indian Gaming Commission setting up a pilot program for Tribes. At the onset of the program, up to four Tribes-including the Saginaw Chippewa-were going to be accepted.

The NIGC is an independent federal regulatory agency of the United States and was established pursuant to the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act of 1988. Its primary mission is to regulate gaming activities on Indian lands for the purpose of shielding Indian Tribes from organized crime and other corrupting influences. It also ensures that Tribes are the primary beneficiaries of gaming revenue and assure that gaming is conducted fairly and honestly by both operators and players.

To achieve these goals, the Commission is authorized to orchestrate investigations, undertake enforcement actions, conduct background investigations, as well as audits and review and approve Tribal gaming ordinances.

With the electronic fingerprint submission process, the NIGC guarantees a return within 24 hours in which it was submitted. This is considerably faster than a 30- to 90-day turnaround previously experienced by having to physically mail the fingerprints to the Commission.

With the expedition of fingerprint returns, the Gaming Commission and its staff will no longer have to worry about whether a criminal fell through the cracks of other local, state and federal criminal background checks.

All individuals will be filtered through this new Identix Touch Print 3500 system-the first line of defense for Tribal Gaming Commission investigators.

The Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe of Michigan is currently one of 11 in the nation now using this system of electronic fingerprint submission via some type of a live fingerprint scan. The new system can send and receive fingerprints simultaneously, with the capability of storing up to 1,000 sets of fingerprints in a file.

The Gaming Commission would like to thank Tribal Council, Information Technology Department personnel Duncan Rae, Chuck Bullock and Steve Cline for their dedication throughout this project and for their assistance with the installation and hookup.

They would also like to thank Troy Opdycke, background investigator for the Saginaw Chippewa Gaming Commission, for all his hard work and dedication in making this project a reality. Opdycke never gave up on helping make this project a reality. For the last two years, Opdycke has worked as a liaison between the Gaming Commission, Information Technology and Identix. Rick Lubeck, Identix representative and who conducted the installation, was also an integral part of the process.