If criminal suspects give McLeod County Sheriff’s deputies a false name or ID, their fingerprints will soon tell a different story.

The sheriff’s office will soon receive two fingerprint-scanning identification devices from the state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, free of charge.

The BCA will pay for any maintenance on the devices from the time the county receives them until Sept. 30, 2010.

The devices scan both of a suspect’s index fingers, then compare them with prints in the state’s database. If there’s a match to an existing record, the suspect can be quickly identified.

Michelle Fure, speaking on behalf of the BCA, said the agency plans to distribute 125 more fingerprint ID devices in the near future.

Twenty Minnesota counties will have hardwired fingerprint ID units at their sheriff’s offices. Law enforcement agencies in about 20 counties will also have portable wireless units for use in the field.

Fure said, “Ultimately, it’s about making sure the information shared between law enforcement agencies is as accurate as it can be.”

(Jorge Sosa is a staff writer for the Hutchinson Leader. He can be reached at sosa@hutchinsonleader.com)