Before the turn of the twentieth century, the fingerprint section at FBI Headquarters faced a daunting problem. It was declared that the agency's fingerprint system "is now in danger of immediate collapse." Once the marvel of the law enforcement world, the fingerprint center was so massive that four floors in the J Edgar Hoover Building were reinforced to support the weight of its 187 million fingerprint cards. Within that same timeframe, the center had fallen victim to newer technology and a work force with too high turnover. In 1991, Senator
Robert Byrd inserted language into the fiscal 1990 appropriations bill that allocated to the FBI, a $185 million for a new, state-of-the-art fingerprint center (also known as CJIS or Criminal Justice Information System) on the condition that it would be located in the state of West Virginia. In January of that year, the FBI acquired 986 acres of land in Clarksburg, West Virginia, and started construction in October and was completed less than four years later. Besides the fingerprint center, it also hosts the following services:
- National Crime Information Computer (NCIC) - A database of stolen items and individuals wanted by the police, as well as prior convictions
- Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System (IAFIS) - Digitized version of the paper based TEN-PRINT fingerprint card which is readily searchable
- National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) - In simplest terms, gun background checks
- Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) - Essentially a compiled report that tabulates all major crimes committed within the United States
- LEO Enterprise Portal ( Law Enforcement Online or LEO-EP) - website that provides a broad array of services that often serves as the single point of access for information : database, booking system, criminal intelligence, etc
- National Data Exchange (N-Dex) - A virtual workspace in which law enforcement at the local, state, and federal level, as well as tribal, can coordinate investigations that span multiple jurisdictions. It can also provide access to records, monitor fugitives and targets under investigation, as well as provide assistance in the search for missing persons.
- National Threat Operations Center - processes tips via phone or email, about a potential terrorist threat, domestic or international. These calls would include threats of mass shootings, bombings and other potentially high-risk-for-casualty events.
- Biometrics Center - The new center was created as part of a joint initiative between the FBI and US Department of Defense. It is suppose to be a Research and Development laboratory for biometric identification technology used for purposes of national security and law enforcement. Biometric technology measures and analyses human characteristics, such as DNA, palm prints, irises and voice patterns. Besides serving as a repository for eye iris scans , it helped spearhead the technology used for Mobile Biometric Application, using a smartphone application for quick field identification of suspects or victims.