16-04-2025
The forensic tool on Seattle's ballot
Seattle voters have a single issue on the special election ballot next Tuesday: whether to renew a levy that pays for a fingerprinting system that police use to solve crimes.
Why it matters: The Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS) is used by all King County cities and unincorporated areas, storing nearly 3 million records that can be matched to incoming or unidentified prints.
The program pays for terminals that record fingerprints and palm prints at police stations, mobile devices that officers can use to identify people in the field, and staff who help process crime scene evidence, among other services.
By the numbers: The renewed levy would last seven years, costing 2.75 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value in 2026, the first year that it would be in effect.
For a home assessed at $850,000 — roughly the median assessed value in King County — the owners would pay about $23 for the levy next year.
What they're saying: In the county voter pamphlet, the committee urging a "yes" vote on the measure — a group that includes King County Sheriff Patti Cole-Tindall — says that AFIS is an "essential forensic tool" that "has been instrumental in solving everything from violent offenses to burglaries."
"Your yes vote continues the ability to provide closure for victims and their families," the statement adds.
No statement opposing the ballot measure was submitted to King County Elections for inclusion in the voter pamphlet.
