New York statute
N.Y. Criminal Procedure Law § 160.10 — Fingerprinting; duties of police with respect thereto
Current through 2026 legislative session (LBDC text via OpenLegislation as of 2026-07-17)
Part of Article 160: Fingerprinting and Photographing of Defendant After Arrest--criminal Identification Records and Statistics, New York Criminal Procedure Law.
Full text of N.Y. Criminal Procedure Law § 160.10
Statutory text current through the 2026 legislative session (LBDC text via OpenLegislation as of 2026-07-17). This publication reproduces the text of the Consolidated Laws of New York as provided by the New York State Senate's Open Legislation service (Legislative Bill Drafting Commission statutory text); it is not the official statutes of the State of New York.
160.10 Fingerprinting; duties of police with respect thereto.
1. Following an arrest, or following the arraignment upon a local
criminal court accusatory instrument of a defendant whose court
attendance has been secured by a summons or an appearance ticket under
circumstances described in sections 130.60 and 150.70, the arresting or
other appropriate police officer or agency must take or cause to be
taken fingerprints of the arrested person or defendant if an offense
which is the subject of the arrest or which is charged in the accusatory
instrument filed is:
(a) A felony; or
(b) A misdemeanor defined in the penal law; or
(c) A misdemeanor defined outside the penal law which would constitute
a felony if such person had a previous judgment of conviction for a
crime.
2. In addition, a police officer who makes an arrest for any offense,
either with or without a warrant, may take or cause to be taken the
fingerprints of the arrested person if such police officer:
(a) Is unable to ascertain such person's identity; or
(b) Reasonably suspects that the identification given by such person
is not accurate; or
(c) Reasonably suspects that such person is being sought by law
enforcement officials for the commission of some other offense.
3. Whenever fingerprints are required to be taken pursuant to
subdivision one or permitted to be taken pursuant to subdivision two,
the photograph and palmprints of the arrested person or the defendant,
as the case may be, may also be taken.
4. The taking of fingerprints as prescribed in this section and the
submission of available information concerning the arrested person or
the defendant and the facts and circumstances of the crime charged must
be in accordance with the standards established by the commissioner of
the division of criminal justice services.
Official sources
Legal terms used in this section
This reference is informational and is not legal advice.