Enhancing Law Enforcement Efficiency and Safety through Biometric Identification Tecnology

The Clayton Police Department is requesting to utilize JAG funding for Biometric Identification devices. Law enforcement is being challenged to be more efficient with fewer resources.  Biometrics are among the strongest identification methods available due to their uniqueness. Fingerprint recognition has been crucial to law enforcement and remains a valuable tool in crime-solving.

The purpose of the Biometric Identification devices, is to modernize policing practices verifying suspects in the field, during traffic stops or daily encounters. A Biometric Identification device can securely capture, transmit and cross-check prints against state and FBI databases. Which are Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) compliant, and all digital transactions are conducted within a secure environment that would meet the state of Georgia and federal security policies. The device does not store or record the fingerprints of the people using the device. The information is captured and compared against the AFIS database, then discarded if there are no hits.

The use of a Biometric Identification device can prove to be a very efficient tool for the Clayton County Police Department. With identity theft on the rise, quite often our officers come across people who provide false names and date of birth. Often subjects have assumed the identity of an unsuspecting person and have created false documents.  

During these encounters, officers have to rely on dispatch to check the information provided, through GCIC or NCIC and determine if the person the officer is dealing with  is who they say they are.  These include sex offenders, wanted persons, gang members, and people who are the subject of protective or restraining orders.

The Biometric Identification device will allow officers to check their identity on the spot, saving time and reducing radio traffic. This tool will give a positive Identification within minutes as opposed to AFIS which can take hours to return results. The device can read prints regardless of dirt, sweat, or worn-down/ shallow fingerprints. This device is a compact mobile fingerprint reader with reliable sensors ideal for outdoor circumstances, dust, sunlight, heat, and moisture.   

The device can also be used in situations with mental persons, persons with dementia, or Alzheimer’s. Often officers have encountered persons with these issues and they have
no identification on them or are unable to communicate who they are. This tool can assist the officer and get the person back to their loved ones.