The work of identifying individuals has become so much easier for law enforcement across the world as they have adopted radical changes in methods for identifying people. The old-fashioned physical description and paper-based identification methods that were used for decades have given way to the new digital era of biometrics in law enforcement that is now becoming a staple of crime investigation and border control around the world.
The Mechanics of Biometric Identification
In order to be able to identify individuals by means of biometric characteristics, a few core principles have to be fulfilled by the used method. First of all, there is the sample of the characteristic, i.e. the input. This can be a photo of a person (face recognition) or a finger print scan for example. This sample is then analyzed by so-called . These feature extraction systems are software which are able to extract a few special features, so-called from the sample. These features are then converted into a so-called . These templates are then stored on the used computer system. For finger print recognition for example, a finger print scan is digitized and stored on the computer as a so-called digital finger print.
Once the features have been extracted from a sample, the software converts the extracted features into a digital template. This template is essentially a numerical code that makes up the biometric, or a mathematical representation of it. The digital template is then entered into the system to search for that individual in a database. When a new sample of a person’s biometric is taken of a suspect, for example, their template is compared to every individual in a database, and this process is often completed in a matter of seconds. Manually sifting through even a medium-sized database would take significantly longer and is not currently a viable option.
Primary Biometric Modalities
Law enforcement agencies are using a number of primary biometric modalities to identify individuals and it is typical for an agency to use more than one of these in order to confirm an identification made by using one modality.
Fingerprint Identification: This is the oldest and the most widely used method of biometric identification. In law enforcement, fingerprint identification is the only biometric modality that can be used as evidence in a court of law. Thanks to tremendous advancements in the field of fingerprint recognition technology, a latent print found at a crime scene can be matched against millions of finger print records within minutes.
Facial Recognition Technology (FRT): FRT is one of the most powerful tools presently available to the police in searching for and identifying persons of interest. Public places are increasingly being scanned in search of known offenders as the accuracy of the facial recognition technology continues to improve at a rapid pace. Individual images are now capable of being compared against huge databases in a matter of seconds, allowing for accurate identification of individuals within crowds of thousands.
Iris Recognition: Iris Recognition is one of the most accurate biometric modalities that are widely used today. The ability to recognize individuals allows for a wide variety of applications including identification of unknown human remains, and even identifying individuals who are hiding behind prosthetic eyes. The pattern of the iris is made up of many small structures, including-striaeple and folds of tissue called–striae, fibers, and to loops. These features are very stable and do not change much from childhood to old age. As a result, high quality iris images can be used to produce highly accurate recognition.
Palm Print Recognition: Similar to fingerprints, palm prints are also used to identify individuals. The unique combination and structure of lines and ridges on every person’s palm makes every individual’s palm print unique. There are many cases where partial prints have been found at crime scenes, and by using palm print recognition these can be used to identify suspects.
The Importance of Advanced Algorithm Software
As previously stated, the algorithms in any form of biometric identification are of critical importance and, as with any work of law enforcement, there is considerable scope for error. The individual identified by the system could be the victim of an error on the part of the system and face considerable consequences as a result.
However, most programs that process identity by means of biometric identity features rely on software to process the information collected by such features. Like any other program, there is much more to a program that processes information collected by means of biometric identity features than mere accuracy. This is because such programs deal with large databases, which are continually being updated. As a result, it is not enough for a program that uses identity by means of biometric identity features to be accurate; rather, it must also process the collected information in a timely fashion. The software used by a program that uses identity by means of biometric identity features is, by far, the most important aspect of such a program. The quality of the software can greatly affect the accuracy of the program as a whole. In terms of the program’s functionality, this can translate to an increased number of false positives or false negatives. This can have serious repercussions, particularly in work of an investigative nature.
Impact on Global Investigations
New identification technologies have enabled worldwide investigation of individuals who utilize aliases to travel globally, and present forged documentation to law enforcement and other entities. The technology has been instrumental in the solution of cold cases. Physical and other evidence collected decades ago, can now be processed through identification systems, providing the first lead in decades on the identity of perpetrators of crimes, and resulting in their apprehension and subsequent prosecution for crimes for which they were previously unsolved. Overall, the technology of identification has provided justice systems worldwide with significantly greater precision and accountability.
