Automated Fingerprint Identification System
1 definition found for this term.
Definitions are presented in the order source books were published (most recent first).
AFIS is a searchable database of persons who have been lawfully fingerprinted under the authority of the Identification of Criminals Act. In Canada, AFIS is managed by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (Canadian Criminal Real Time Identification Services — CCRTIS) in Ottawa. Federal, provincial, regional, and municipal police services have access to AFIS through local network users groups. AFIS is not relied upon to confirm or exclude identity. It is simply used to narrow the potential search down to fingerprints with similar features (e.g., pattern type and minutiae). Identifications remain the task of qualified fingerprint examiners and are subsequently and independently verified by another qualified examiner.