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http://www.patriotledger.com/topstories/x1602636300/Catching-criminals-Cops-have-an-app-for-that VIDEO: Catching criminals? Brockton cops have an app for that Brockton police to use iPhone technology to help identify suspects Photos
GatehouseNews Service Sean Mullin, CEO of B12 Technologies, demonstrates the crime fighting program his company helped develop.
Jun 15, 2010 @ 09:41 AM BROCKTON — Officer Scott Shields held up the oversized iPhone and snapped a photo.
Within seconds, that photo would match one of a man included in a test database.
It is part of a new facial recognition system now being used by Brockton police.
The system, called MORIS (Mobile Offender Recognition and Identification System), will allow officers in the field to take photos of suspects to be compared with a database now being developed by sheriff departments across the state.
“This is something the officers can access when they are out on the road,” said Police Chief William Conlon.
He said officers can take a photo of a suspect, upload it into a secure network where it is analyzed then learn – often within seconds – who the person is.
Conlon said the handheld iPhone device will likely be used by the gang unit initially until the department can get more of the devices through grants.
The device – with the necessary applications – costs $3,000 – and was made available thanks in part to a $200,000 federal grant funneled through the Massachusetts Sheriff’s Association.
Only $148,300 of that grant is being used for the system, which will eventually be used by 28 police departments and 14 sheriff departments in the state.
Brockton is the first in the country to use the device – other departments are expected to receive them shortly.
Sean Mullin, president and CEO of BI2 Technologies of Plymouth, said what makes the system unique is it uses iPhone technology to allow officers to identify suspects through facial recognition, iris biometrics and fingerprints – all on one device.
The BI2 system combines the iris identification system it developed with the facial recognition system developed by Animetrics of Conway, N.H.
With the iris recognition – expected to be added to the Brockton system in the future – suspects look through a binocular-like device which details the unique areas of the iris. That information is then compared with those of others in a database.
Paul Schuepp, president of Animetrics, said his system translates two dimensional photos into three dimensions for analysis, increasing the accuracy of identification.
The iPhone device Brockton police received is equipped with the facial recognition application but iris and fingerprint identification applications are expected to be added in the future.
Conlon said officers will be using the devices to identify suspects.
“We are not going to just randomly stop people,” Conlon said. “It will be used when someone has done something.”
