NCJ Number
107817
Journal
Police Chief Volume: 54 Issue: 10 Dated: (October 1987) Pages: 64-65,67-68
Date Published
1987
Length
4 pages
Annotation
Encouraging results of the application of computer technology to the identification of victims following a 1985 fire that killed 56 persons in Bradfield, England, led to the development of a system for dealing with casualties and disasters.
Abstract
The CRISIS system absorbs detailed descriptions of both missing persons and dead bodies and then compares them. After antemortem and post mortem data are input, CRISIS suggests the more likely matches in descending order of probability based on both physical characteristics and dental data. These matches then are reviewed by a team of experts. In addition to these matching processes, the system can be searched for particular words, such as 'red garment.' An administrative package records duty hours and keeps track of statistics and costs. In 1987, following the capsizing of a ferry enroute from Belgium to England, a parallel identification system was set up in both countries to identify fatalities and survivors. By using the CRISIS and the INTERPOL systems, it was eventually possible to identify all 193 bodies that were recovered, as well as much of the property found in the sea.