Outline of Need:

Nestled in the Mountains of Western Maryland is Allegany County, one of three counties that is part of the Appalachian Region in the State of Maryland.  Allegany comes from the Indian word, oolikhanna, meaning “beautiful stream.”  The area prides itself as the nation's best location to live and work, and has close to the lowest crime rate in the State.  In 2002, a new state of the art Allegany County Detention Center opened that provides for the safety of the inmates placed into its custody, offering a humane living environment at the Detention Center, while also providing a safe working environment for the staff of the center. The Detention Center is managed by the Sheriff of Allegany County who is responsible for protecting the citizens of the County. Nearly every arrestee in the County is processed through the Detention Center.

To bring the facility online with the 21st century it was determined that a high tech digital finger printing machine was needed.  In 2003, 1658 inmates were processed with the old ink and card method taking up to 6 weeks for an analysis or profile on the arrestee. In this time of increased national security, it is extremely important that potential suspects not be released until they have cleared a check of their fingerprints with the FBI.

How Rural Development Helped:

In the summer of 2005, USDA Rural Development provided 55% or $16,600 dollars in Community Facility grant funds (click here to learn more about this and other programs) to help the County purchase a digital finger printing machine that is connected to Maryland 's Live Scan network. It allows fingerprints to connect to the FBI and the Maryland registry and receive results in 20 minutes.

Helping first responders is a key initiative of the Bush Administration and this request for law enforcement equipment will provide Allegany County the ability to better serve and protect their rural citizens. Lt. Dan Lasher, who worked with Leah Lowe, grants writer with Tri County Council based in Cumberland, was instrumental in obtaining the machine for use at the jail.

The Results:

Monday, April 10, 2006, the finger printing machine had been in service at the Detention Center for approximately 6 months when officers received the first profile on a man who falsely identified himself. The man was wanted by Pennsylvania authorities for shooting at a police officer and innocent bystanders with a handgun. The machine has proved to be a valuable tool to the County, demonstrating that if someone is arrested and says they are someone else, fingerprints on file will send a message that this individual is not the person they say they are.  Once a person is finger printed, for any reason, the fingerprint is given an FBI number and a State Identification Number (SID) that is associated with the individual for life. Without the new technology, someone arrested could post bond and be released. With the old card and ink system it would not be known for approximately six weeks that the officers had the wrong person.

Photo Caption: Lt. Dan Lasher provides a demonstration of how the machine works to USDA Rural Development State Director Marlene Elliott and staff.

(May 2006)

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