Senior Texas officials have hit out at legislation passed earlier this year that demanded the relevant agency only take a thumb or forefinger print from applicants for driver's licenses and other ID cards rather than all 10 prints.Texas DPS Director Steve McCraw told a Senate panel that the law has “absolutely” taken from the department a valuable tool to help identify people who may have committed crimes.The changes entered into force earlier this year when lawmakers passed House Bill 1888, by state Rep. Giovanni Capriglione, R-Southlake, which dealt with penalties for driving a commercial vehicle without a license”Name-based checks are woefully inadequate,” McCraw testified. “Fingerprints are a great tool in terms of identifying and locking someone into a particular identification. When you come in and put the 10 prints down, there is no question you are that person. You can't manipulate it, you can't change it.”After the hearing, committee State Affairs Chairman Byron Cook, R-Corsicana, said McCraw's testimony validated the concerns he had about the proposal during the session.”I thought at the time that it's going to be counterproductive for public safety,” he said. “What he told us today was that it's counterproductive for public safety. So people have to balance. They have to decide whether they want more safety or whether they are more concerned about a privacy issue.”Lawmakers also heard from Terrell County Sheriff W. Clint McDonald, chairman of the Texas Border Sheriffs' Coalition. McDonald spun a different tale than some border Democrats who say the area is more patrolled and safer than ever.

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