In Spokane Valley, trained volunteers are helping police dust for fingerprints in cars that have been broken into and ransacked.

The volunteers free up deputies for higher priority work and check for prints in cars that otherwise might go unchecked.

The Spokesman-Review reports (http://bit.ly/VdGsqv) the volunteers are trained to follow procedures and keep records. They are able to testify in court.

The prints are run through the national fingerprint database. Coordinator Randy Dale says the success rate is about only 1 percent, but it's another step against property crimes.

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Information from: The Spokesman-Review, http://www.spokesman.com