NCJ Number
180922
Journal
Law Enforcement Technology Volume: 26 Issue: 11 Dated: November 1999 Pages: 88-90
Date Published
November 1999
Length
3 pages
Annotation
The Automated Suspect Identification System (ASID) developed by Smith and Wesson uses biometric recognition technology to allow the rapid comparison of a new image with existing photographs in a database and thus to identify suspects accurately up to 99 percent of the time, even when they refuse to give correct information when arrested.
Abstract
The comparisons take place at a rate of 200 to 2,000 faces per second. The rate depends on the picture submitted, the computer's processing speed, and the signal-to-noise ratio. The search engine that can distinguish fine facial characteristics in photographs is called a robust pattern recognition technology. The ASID functions with both photographs and composite sketches formed by Smith and Wesson's Identi-Kit 2000. The ASID can provide information about the top 20 candidates for matches within minutes, allowing investigators to make positive identifications or have a head start on investigations. The police chief of the Bloomfield, Conn., police agency that is the first to test the system comments that ASID is especially helpful in personal injury crimes such as robberies, rapes, and others, when the victim is traumatized. The Bloomfield agency's next step is to develop a regional ASID database that links the booking systems of several local police agencies. Illustrations