MoCo rec centers get fingerprint scanners

Montgomery County residents will soon be required to scan their fingers to enter recreation centers.

Officials say switching from plastic passes to finger scanners will save the recreation department $50,000 annually. The scanners will be put into use in the fall at three centers, and will be expanded to all of the county's centers next year.

Privacy advocates say the measure is intrusive and unnecessary. Marc Rotenberg, executive director of the Electronic Privacy Information Center, says it isn't appropriate for a community pool.

Judy Stiles, spokeswoman for the county's recreation department, says residents who don't want to use the scanners can sign in with pen and paper. She says the scanners won't collect fingerprints and that personal data called up by the machine can't be accessed by other agencies.

-- Associated Press