That's information that officials say state lawmakers have authorized them to obtain to help curb fraud in the In-Home Supportive Services program. The rules apply as of April 1 to anyone new to getting in-home care care.

Sacramento and San Diego counties -- where prosecutors have been bullish on cracking down on fraud -- have agreed to try out several cameras on loan from the manufacturer.

State Department of Social Services spokeswoman Lizelda Lopez said social workers can fingerprint and shoot photos in county offices with existing technology. But new laws require that social workers fingerprint in-home care recipients in their homes since many can't travel easily.

The MorphoTrak cameras are a possible choice -- depending on the results of the pilot -- because they're durable and compatible with government data systems, Lopez said.

Disabled rights groups opposed the suggestion of buying the cameras. They say legislators authorized fingerprinting - not photos. State officials dispute that they're limited to fingerprinting, and say that counties should have photos on file just as they do to guard against fraud in other social programs.

Disabled rights groups also say that state officials have estimated that 600 to 1,000 MorphoTrak devices might be needed to cover the state.

That adds up to $5 million for the devices -- even though the administration has proposed eliminating in-home care altogether if courts don't stop blocking other proposals it has suggested to cut costs.

Pete Cervinka, Social Services' program deputy director for benefits and services, said the state is talking to other vendors that might have suitable devices.

Cervinka said $200 digital cameras and classic ink pads and paper could perform individual tasks, but that the information couldn't be downloaded afterward. By investing in a more sophisticated device initially, he said, the state would avoid ongoing costs that could add up, such as printing paper and ink.

Fingerprints could get rumpled and lost as social workers travel around from home to home, he said.

A number of legislators have already pounced on the thought of buying $5,000 devices.

"Ridiculous," said Assemblyman Dave Jones, D-Sacramento, in a press release. "I am calling on Sacramento District Attorney Jan Scully not to participate in this misguided program."

Lopez defended the possibility of such purchases because they would be purchased using money the state budgeted to crack down on fraud.

Perhaps lawmakers, Lopez said, were not told that these devices are more than simple cameras.

The MorphoTrak machines "are a sophisticated device," she said, that could help save millions of dollars in the long run.

The post was updated with additional comments from Lizelda Lopez at 7 p.m.