- Valdosta, Ga. - June 18, 2012-

Georgia investigators are streamlining their process for catching criminals. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation will now include palm prints when finger printing people.

This is nothing new but starting Monday the Georgia Bureau of Investigation is upgrading its systems to share that information state wide. It's all part of the GBI's expanded "Automated Fingerprint Identification System".

The system will include palm prints and greater access to federal data among other upgrades. Investigators say about half of the prints collected at crime scenes are palm prints.

"In a way I guess it does (help) because they would be able to catch them easier than they would ordinarily I suppose. Because I've had issues in the past where I got ripped off and they left palm prints but there were no finger prints. So yeah, maybe it would help," said D.A. Wilson, who we found shopping in Valdosta.

Many crime scene units around the state have been collecting palm prints since 2010 when they learned the system might be upgraded.

The old system would only hold the first print taken, whether it was a good one or not. But this new system will house every print taken increasing the chances for a match.