Databases
Databases are used to group finger prints or DNA samples of people in one place. There are databases of government agencies, all sections of the army, finger prints if arrested for anything, DNA is a suspect in any crime, and everyone stays in the databases once in the databases. They are also used to link together cold cases in the way of now that technology is advanced enough that it is all online and connected, input all cold case DNA and finger prints and other evidence and see what connections are made between time gaps and state lines. Some state databases are the AFIS and the APIS programs, the Automated Fingerprint and Palmprint Identification Systems. Together they can put together the prints of a hand from a crime scene and run through the two systems with the hopes to get enough points from at least one that a person will pop up. The person is in the system if they have ever been arrested, someone in the family has given the prints to the police for some reason or another, or if they are connected with a case and were needed to eliminate prints. Other databases are for other things, these two are just on the civilian end.
The technology is still growing; the databases are still expanding each year. The technology is taking this field forward; it just depends on how fast. The money needs to be there for it to keep up. In a few years, it is very likely that everyone in the world can easily be in every type of database out there, so committing any crime will be known as soon as any evidence is processed.
AFIS & APIS. 2006. Spex Forensics. 5 May 2009 http://www.printquest-afis.com/