Alabama workers clock in with their fingerprints

Scanner monitors body temperature

By John Leyden • Get more from this author

Posted in Security, 5th January 2004 13:59 GMT

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Jefferson County, Alabama is calling time on fraudulent overtime claims by making non-salaried employees clock in with their fingerprints.

The County Commission last week placed a $460,000 order for 60 extra biometric time clocks. It has already installed 30 of the hi-tech gizmos.

"I'm not saying anybody has been doing anything wrong," Commission President Larry Langford told AP. "But how do you verify that the overtime has been worked? This is a simple solution."

County workers will be issued with a swipe card to be used during the clocking in (or out) process. After they use the card, workers will be prompted to verify their identity by placing a finger on a pad.

The device is sophisticated enough to differentiate between genuine fingerprints and forgeries, according to Jefferson County officials.

"The only way to get around it is to cut off your finger and give it to somebody," said Langford. "But even then it won't work because the machine also monitors body temperature."

Jefferson County spends between $5 million and $6 million per year in overtime payments. Some workers earn up to $40,000 per annum in overtime pay, AP reports. ®