Sheriff’s employees will have to pass fingerprint check to receive pay in Dallas County

Dallas County workers will soon be able to get paid with a finger scan.

Commissioners approved the purchase of 119 biometric time clocks and badge readers that use fingerprint and facial recognition technology to minimize payroll fraud and maximize security.

Recent data breaches and computer system outages have left some people wary of new technologies.

Commissioner Elba Garcia expressed doubts as to whether the software and hardware would be tested before being launched.

“I just want to be cautious about the nightmare we have with technology,” Garcia said.

County Administrator Darryl Martin said the goal is to have the new hardware and software running smoothly by the New Year.

“The hardest part will be the part with the finger and the fingerprint,” Martin said. “That will be the part that will take some time and practice.”

Commissioner John Wiley Price said money accelerates learning.

“Fool, if you don’t put your finger on the right one, you don’t get paid,” he said. “Hell, it’s really that simple. Put a big sign on the right one and say, ‘Fool, this is your finger, this is your finger if you want to get paid.’”

The UKG Touch DX Biometric Time and Attendance Clocks (Kronos) cost more than half a million dollars but could help avoid a potential $50 million budget shortfall.

High levels of overtime and paid sick leave at the sheriff’s and juvenile departments have recently raised concerns about abuses and sparked panic about budget imbalances.

Some employees reported working 18 hours a day, seven days a week.

Price said the new system makes fraud and abuse easier to detect.

“That damn biometrics — when you hit it, whether it’s overtime or time off, it pings it.”

The Sheriff’s Office will use new UKG TeleStaff (Kronos) scheduling software to test the first batch of time clocks.

The Juvenile Department will use the next batch.

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