Stockton, California police have been testing out a handheld biometric scanner that can be used in the field, according to an article by Jason Anderson for The Record. Police officials say that the scanner could potentially revolutionize some of the more tedious aspects of police work.
The scanner, which looks a bit like the kind of clunky credit/debit machine used in some restaurants, is capable of scanning fingerprints, irises, and faces, and can transmit that information to a remote database to search for potential matches. The device can even scan fingerprints at a crime scene, saving the police a great deal of trouble.
Erin Mettler, the fiscal planning and research manager for the Stockton Police Department, notes that whereas the traditional, onerous method of fingerprint processing could take a day or even a week, with the new scanners the police have “had responses in as little as three minutes and as long as 20 minutes. It averages about 10 minutes.”
The Stockton Police Department’s adoption of such technology is part of a very active trend, with other local-level police services throughout North America embracing such technology in recent weeks. While applications like fingerprint scanning haven’t caused much consternation, other biometric technologies such as facial scanning have led to concerns from civil rights and privacy advocates. In any case, law enforcement agencies around the world have displayed a strong appetite for this kind of technology in their efforts to fight crime and prevent terrorism.
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December 1, 2014 – by Alex Perala
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