Imagine gaining access to your mobile computer terminal by pressing your thumb to a pad and having your fingerprint scanned or processing a suspect's critical booking information (e.g., palm- and fingerprints, mug shot, and photos of tattoos and scars) at a single terminal. Thanks to the evolution of biometrics technology, these scenarios are now a reality for law enforcement agencies.
Whether used for fingerprint scans, facial recognition or iris scanning, the technology can heighten security for officers in the field and at the station. Below are just a few items that have caught our attention.
Fingerprint-Operated Gun Safe
At the 2009 SHOT Show, Boyt Harness displayed a gun safe operated via a fingerprint-reader lock. Instead of pushing buttons, using a key or dialing a combination, the user simply places their finger onto the reader window, and the safe will open if the user has been previously enrolled.
"Enrollment" is accomplished by allowing the fingerprint reader to scan and record up to 255 fingerprints. A user can enroll one finger, or all 10. Once a print has been enrolled, the safe will open two to three seconds after that finger is placed on the scanner. Scanners of this type have been in use in commercial locks and computer security devices for years and are very reliable. Although it's possible to "spoof" them with a silicone "gummy" finger, anyone who would take the time to construct one of these would probably take a crowbar to the safe first.
The Secure Vault Select Fingerprint Safe is large enough to accommodate several handguns or whatever else of similar size you want to store there. The interior compartment is constructed of four-gauge steel, with 11-gauge steel used for the door. The door has crossbar locks and a hidden manual key override. The entire safe has a powder-coated finish.
There are pre-drilled holes for permanent mounting to a fixed platform, such as a floor joist or wall stud, or for the use of cable locks. Mounting hardware and cable locks are not included.
Interior dimensions are 9.25" x 13."x 10"
Exterior dimensions are 9.75" x 13.75" x 10". The safe is approved by the California Department of Justice.
Suggested retail price is $392. For more information, visit www.boytharness.com .
More Biometrics Products
Cogent's Wireless Solution
Last fall, Cogent Systems released the Fusion, a fully ruggedized, multi-modal, handheld biometric system. Designed with input from the Department of Defense Special Operations, the Fusion has a 500-dpi FBI certified fingerprint sensor, high-resolution camera for facial portrait capture and high-resolution infrared camera for iris and latent fingerprint capture. The Fusion can capture and store tens of thousands of forensic-quality records, including fingerprints, latent fingerprints, iris images, photos and textual data for onboard watch list searching. The Fusion can wirelessly transfer secure data via 802.11b/g, Bluetooth, GSM or GPRS.
At 1.2 lbs., the Fusion is equipped with a 3.5" color display and fits in the cargo pocket of standard tactical trousers. The device meets military MIL-STD-810 and Ingress Protection standards to handle stringent conditions and has been rigorously tested by the Army's Biometric Task Force (BTF). It is BTF certified as 100% EBTS and EFTS compliant.
For more information, visit www.cogentsystems.com or call 626/799-8090.
Palm Scan
Last summer at the National Sheriff's Association 2008 Conference, Cross Match Technologies Inc. introduced the first FBI-certified, single-platen design palm scanner, the L SCAN 500P. As the lightest and smallest palm scanner currently available, the L SCAN 500P is equipped with a unique interactive LCD display including two smart buttons, descriptive icons and integrated color messages. The display is user-friendly and provides immediate feedback, making the capture sequence easier, faster and safer. This feature provides a greater measure of safety to officers by allowing them to capture a full set of high-quality prints without losing eye contact with the person being booked or enrolled.
For more information, visit www.crossmatch.com .
Biometrics of Motorola
Motorola Inc.'s LiveScan 4000 is a ruggedized biometric acquisition station capable of capturing palm- and fingerprints, mugshots, iris images, signature details and descriptive data, such as scars and tattoos. Its software facilitates efficient booking and is FBI Appendix F certified.
The system has a three-part full palm scanner (upper/lower/writer) and an option for a 1000 ppi scanner. It can capture the maximum image size allowable by the NIST, the FBI and all state agencies without a moving platen or capture camera. It also offers live video of palm- and
fingerprint image feedback. The system's foot pedal is used for scanner control, and the auto scanner calibrates on startup.
The system is also available in mobile and desktop versions. For more information,
visit www.motorola.com or call 714/238-2000.
Iris Scan from Panasonic
Panasonic's BM-ET200 is an iris-recognition system with a tilt camera head. The camera's high-speed capture engine recognizes individuals in 0.3 seconds with a 50 local-user cache and a more than 5,000 user cache in network mode per camera. Up to 25 user licenses are available, and the maximum registration data for a system of four cameras is 10,025 users. It offers three settings for voice guidance in 14 different languages.
The access control system takes detailed and close-up images of the irises of all authorized personnel. Its biometric software then makes a template (map) of each person's iris pattern and stores it in the system. It also has a tamper-protection feature that prevents data from
being extracted.
For more information, visit www.panasonic.com/business/security/products/biometrics.asp .
Where to Shop
Here are a few more companies to consider:
Applied Biosystems Inc.
800/327-3002
www.appliedbiosystems.com
Aware Inc.
781/276-4000
www.aware.com
Biomatrica Inc.
866-379-6879
www.biomatrica.com
CrimeTech Inc.
904/880-9688
www.crimetech.net
International Biometric
Group LLC
212/809-9491
www.biometricgroup.com
L-1 Identity Solutions
203/504-1100
http://l1id.com/
www.iridiantech.com
LG Electronics,
North American Headquarters
256/772-8860
www.lge.com
Pro-Tech Mobile Solutions
918/630-1614
www.pro-techmobile.com
Sagem Morpho Inc.
Headquarters
800/346-2674
www.morpho.com
Secure Logic
800/344-3242
www.wall-vault.com
Speech Technology Center
937/644-2170
www.speechpro.com
StereoVision Imaging Inc.
626/296-6292
www.stereovisioninc.com
Trijay Technologies
International Corp.
949/309-4049
www.trijaycorp.com
Truth & Deception Technologies
321/284-1927
www.tdtvsa.com
