DL in exchange for fingerprint

[Jeff Barber <jeffb@issl.atl.hp.com>]

Oh joy.  You no longer need to be arrested to get fingerprinted
in Georgia.  On the front page of Wednesday's Atlanta Journal, under
the headline "Now you can get driver's license in minutes":

    The average 45-day wait to get a new driver's license in Georgia
    will be a thing of the past under a new system that will churn
    them out while customers wait.

    "From start to finish it takes about 10 minutes," said chief
    examiner ... in charge of the Georgia State Patrol's driver's
    license office in Milledgeville where the system went into effect
    on Tuesday.

    Previously, drivers received a temporary paper license that was
    good for 45 days. ...

    ...

    Officials at the Department of Public Safety plan to have the new
    computer system in 82 locations across the state by Oct. 1.  Georgia
    is the 32nd state with the system.

    After an eye exam, the applicant presses a finger down on a pad
    that registers the fingerprint in a state-wide memory bank.  Then,
    the examiner confirms the name, address, and identifying information.

    ...

    The licenses have a hologram of the word "Georgia" behind the
    driver's name, age and address, and a bar code on the back that
    contains a laser recording of the driver's index fingerprints.

    "We keep a memory bank that matches your fingerprints with your
    license," [DoPS spokesman] said.  "In other words, if you went to
    get a new license with a false birth certificate and your
    fingerprint didn't match the name, you wouldn't get a license.
    And you could also face possible investigation for fraud from the
    Public Safety's investigative division."

    ...

    "I think it's wonderful," said Katherine Kidd, the first
    Milledgeville driver to get the instant license.  "It's a great
    idea.  Now we don't have to wait forever."

    [ End quote ]

Just what I would have called it: a great idea.  Is it true that 31
other states take your fingerprint as part of the license application?
I feel sick.


-- Jeff