Morpho (Safran) has wrapped up an initial project to supply fingerprint recognition terminals to nine police stations in Konya, Turkey. The terminals were installed as part of a probation monitoring project, and this aspect of the Probation Tracking Project, or DESTAP (for “Denetimli Serbestlik Takip Projesi” in Turkish), is expected to be expanded throughout the country.
Here’s how it works: Probationers register their fingerprints via a given terminal’s MorphoSmart 1300 sensor, and are then released on their probationary terms. Thereafter, probationers will periodically check in (as dictated by the terms of their probation sentences) at certain police stations, where their fingerprints will be scanned again for authentication purposes at the MorphoAccess SIGMA terminals. The digital biometric authentication replaces an old wet signature system, offering obvious benefits in terms of reliability and administrative efficiency.
While the use of fingerprint biometrics is becoming increasingly popular among law enforcement agencies as a means of building criminal identity databases, it’s usually used to identify and catch criminals in the field. Adapting it for probationary authentication is a relatively unique use of the technology, and one that offers clear and tangible benefits, with similar systems helping to reduce fraud in authenticating welfare recipients and state ID applicants, for example.
Once the DESTAP pilot project in Konya is deemed successful, Turkish authorities plan to expand it to other districts including Kadınhanı, Cihanbeyli, Çumra, and Kulu.
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July 29, 2015 – by Alex Perala
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