It was a relatively minor request to approve the $7,250 purchase of another fingerprint system. But in making the request last week to the Coweta County Commission, Sheriff Mike Yeager explained that the need for the additional system is in response to the dozens of people per day being fingerprinted, and most of those are being printed for gun carry permits.
“The probate office is being bombarded,” Yeager said of the surge of business at Coweta County Probate Court where Georgia Weapons Carry License applications are obtained. “It sometimes runs staff into overtime.”
Yeager in his remarks to the board noted that commissioners on Feb. 5 approved a temporary part-time position for Probate Court to assist with the increase in firearms applicants. Yeager also noted that the sheriff’s office is also experiencing an increase in fingerprint requests.
Current gun carry permit applications account for the significant majority of the fingerprint requests, Yeager said. What began as numerous applications per day at the beginning of the year has increased to dozens per day, said Yeager.
Yeager said the bonding division at his office is currently processing fingerprint requests for juveniles, sex offenders, Superior Court adoptions and background checks in addition to firearms applicants.
The purchase of this system for $7,250 would provide a second fingerprint capture station in the bonding division at the sheriff’s office, therefore allowing their staff to process fingerprint requests more efficiently.
Commissioner Al Smith prior to the vote asked Yeager how long he expected the influx of gun permit applications to continue.
“Eventually it’s got to drop off. It can’t continue at this rate,” Yeager said.
