Will your staff accept being fingerprinted?

In the waning hours of the Georgia Legislature’s 1995 session, a bill slipped through that required digitized fingerprints of all drivers be placed on driver’s licenses.

The result was a storm of public protest about the state invading individuals’ privacy that has forced the Legislature to reconsider its action. Could there be a similar reaction from medical personnel reluctant to trust their fingerprints to your hospital?

Results of a survey commissioned by The National Registry in Tampa, FL, appear to discount that potential problem. The company hired Alan F. Westin, a professor of public law and government at Columbia University in New York City, to conduct a survey of public perceptions about fingerprinting.

The results were as follows:

• Seventy-five percent said fingerprinting was OK to prevent someone from assuming their identity.

• Ninety-one percent said it was OK for entry to high-security areas.

• Eighty-one percent said it was OK for screening applicants for government benefit programs.

• Seventy-seven percent said it was OK for verifying the identities of people cashing large checks.

• Seventy-six percent said fingerprinting was OK to identify persons using credit cards for major purchases.