I had fingerprints taken this morning, not the old-fashioned way with an inkpad but with a biometric device that required a certified technician to roll each of my fingers back and forth on a scanner.
I emphasize certified technician because California law requires any individual who rolls fingerprints manually or electronically for licensure, certification and/or employment purposes to be certified by the state Department of Justice. You can’t just put any person off the street in charge of advanced optical technology.
Thanks to the use of an expensive machine vs. an inkpad and the certification requirements, the cost to me of having my fingerprints taken was about $70.
California is big on occupational certification. More than 200 professions from doctor to tree trimmer require certification from one of 42 government bureaus and boards. Does this elaborate and costly web of regulation assure the highest quality of professional service?
Each fingerprint took at least three attempts . . . the machine kept rejecting them due to poor quality and the technician had to re-roll them. One finger I believe required 10 repetitions.
God only knows how many tries it would have taken a non-certified person to complete the job.
Interestingly enough, however, there is no certification required to be an elected official, those people ultimately responsible for making the rules. Last time I checked, at least two dozen members of the United States Congress served without benefit of college diploma.
Eventually, in some areas at least, technology will obsolete certification. Computers serve as a relevant example. Three decades ago, one could not use computer without some knowledge of programming. Today, as even the must cursory survey the internet clearly reveals, even the apparently mentally challenged are computer literate!