Biometric Technology

Handheld biometric technology integrates the mobility and versatility of a video camera equipped with recording audio handheld and facial capture technology. Some of those devices are also outfitted with a fingerprint reader and iris scanner. While on patrol, an operator observes a driver roll through a stop sign. The officer activates her emergency lights and stops the vehicle. After approaching the stopped vehicle, the officer asks the driver for his license and registration, but the motorist is uncooperative and refuses. The officer holds the driver and reaches for a handheld biometric recognition device attached to her police duty belt, raises it to the suspects face and presses a single scanning button. 

A hit on the devices screen suggests that the motorist is wanted for murder. Aided by innovative biometric technology, the subject is arrested. This is just one example of a potential application of handheld biometric devices for law enforcement. While not yet widely deployed, these devices hold a lot of potential for law enforcement applications. After providing a short history of biometrics, this article will concentrate on handheld biometric devices, including their advantages and limitations, officer safety and legal concerns, and recommendations. History of Biometrics – Biometrics, the development of automated human identification, had its origins around 6000 B.C. When the Assyrians, Babylonians, Japanese, and Chinese first recorded fingerprints. 

Nevertheless, it was only in the late 20th century that biometrics expanded to include numerous other forms of identification, like retinal scanning, iris recognition, improved hand geometry, and more. Even though automated facial recognition originated throughout the 1960 s, it remains a fairly new concept. Realtime automated facial recognition systems were developed by 1991. In Mar of 2011, the Federal Bureau of Investigation disseminated details about a brand new Biometric Database, the Next Generation Identification, a Lockheed Martin program that goes beyond the Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System. While not yet completed, the NGI will provide automated fingerprint and latent search capabilities, electronic image storage, and electronic exchange of fingerprints to more than 18, 000 law enforcement agencies and other authorized criminal justice partners 24\/7. 

The first Biometric Standards for the interchangeability and interoperability between biometric technology, BioAPI Version 1.1, were approved throughout the InterNational Committee for Information Technology Standards and adopted by the American National Standards – Institute in 2002. Since that time, countless products and numerous combinations of biometric technology have emerged. Biometrics Today – The Federal Bureau of Investigation created the Biometric Interoperability Program, approved by the The Ministry of Justice in 2008, promoting biometric based info sharing between the FBIs Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System along with other federal, state, and international biometric systems. Facial recognition combined with the largest DNA repository in the world, the National DNA Index System, the COmbined DNA Index System and the Biometric Center Of Excellence, spurred the formation of scientific work of facial identification Group .