Why Has This Fingerprint Recognition Technology Become the Favorite of Law Enforcement Agencies?
In the United States, the fingertip recognition technology known as FISNA is being used by the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, or ATF. The purpose of the agency is to implement the National Intellicode for Drug Identification, or NID. Originally developed in 1980, NID required every driver to have a driver’s license photograph. The photographs contained a unique “fingerprint” of the driver that could be compared to any fingerprints in the system. That fingerprint recognition technology has proven to be an invaluable tool in law enforcement investigations.
In order for the NID to be effective, it was necessary to have some sort of way to retain the photograph indefinitely after it had been taken. That is where the idea of collecting iris charts came from. Law enforcement agencies want to maintain the ability to look up information from this type of technology whenever it is needed. The iris pattern on the driver’s eyes is composed of many different colors, and the patterns can be compared to fingerprints. That allows law enforcement to determine if a driver has been driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol or is involved in other criminal activities. NID has proved extremely effective in the field of law enforcement.
The system used by the ATF uses a special type of iris chart that is similar to the iris pattern on the front of a human eye. The system takes a photograph of the driver’s iris, compares the photograph with the computer database, and creates a printout of the image. Once the printout has been created, it can be analyzed at the office of the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms. From there, any documentation that is related to the individual’s iris chart can be found.
In the case of an individual being arrested for driving under the influence, an arrest ticket must be issued within 48 hours. Therefore, the officers must have access to a high quality NID database to determine which records are appropriate to issue the ticket to. Because the system is so accurate, it allows law enforcement officials to quickly determine whether or not to proceed with an arrest. If the individual has a history of alcohol-related offenses, or other criminal activities, their future chances for employment are often lessened.
There are many companies throughout the United States that are working to make the process of fingerprint recognition technology more efficient and reliable. As time passes, the database will become more comprehensive, making it easier for police departments to determine if an individual has been driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Because of the reliability of the technology, most major law enforcement agencies throughout the country have invested in purchasing some type of system for their offices. This includes departments such as the Drug Enforcement Administration, Alcohol and Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms.
Fingerprint identification systems utilize an iris pattern. An iris pattern is unique to each individual, as well as each individual’s fingerprint. However, a system that uses the iris pattern of one person to match another person’s fingerprints may not necessarily be effective. Therefore, law enforcement agencies continue to invest in developing larger databases for storing and comparing records. When a system matches an individual’s iris pattern, it may indicate that the individual has been carrying drugs or alcohol, and thus warrants have been applied for their arrest. However, if an individual has numerous similar iris patterns on different finger tips, then the system may be unable to match those patterns, resulting in a negative match.
Many questions have been raised as to why this fingerprint recognition technology has become the weapon of choice for law enforcement agencies. According to officials, they feel that their training programs and experience have shown that it is very successful in catching criminals. The technology has saved them a tremendous amount of time and money because they do not have to hire as many officers to perform the same task as they would if they used a human officer. Additionally, using this type of technology allows law enforcement agencies to accurately identify people with complete accuracy, even if other characteristics of that person are not unique to only one individual. Therefore, if an agency needs to look up someone’s fingerprint information, it is able to do so accurately and quickly.
This type of technology is rapidly becoming a routine part of most law enforcement agencies. Fingerprint identification is a vital part of maintaining the security of society. However, there are still some concerns about its accuracy and whether or not the technology will ever become as widely accepted and popular as the police would like it to be. Many law enforcement agencies continue to be skeptical of the technology. For these agencies, the best way to avoid having to downplay the importance of this technology is to keep it simple and keep crime low.