As the criminal world has become more complex and sophisticated, law enforcement bodies have looked toward biometric solutions for enhanced surveillance, investigation and rapid identification. In a report by the Center for Privacy and Technology at Georgetown University Law School, U.S. law enforcement agencies have the facial recognition data of 117 million Americans.

Recently, a police reform bill was introduced in Congress that would ban law enforcement officers from using facial recognition on body camera footage without a warrant. This has motivated tech giants such as Amazon and Microsoft to withdraw their facial recognition technologies from the police market. However, companies such as Clearview, HID Global and NEC have capitalized on the biometrics demand to launch new products and services for law enforcement entities.

Specifically, identity solutions provider HID Global recently announced the expansion of its biometrics identification management solutions to police departments and military installations around the globe.

The HID NOMAD 30 Pocket Reader

The company’s HID NOMAD 30 Pocket Reader is being used by large police forces for rapid suspect identification in the field. Initially launched for Android, the solution’s SDK is now available for iOS devices. This extends Bring-Your-Own-Device (BYOD) benefits to a wider scope of clients who are looking for mobile single-fingerprint verification solutions.

“The expansion of our offering to include iOS platforms broadens the adaptability and application of our mobile biometric solutions and equips our customers—from law enforcement to military officials—with the confidence to achieve rapid identification anywhere,” said Jessica Westerouen van Meeteren, VP & Managing Director, Citizen Identity with HID Global. “Ensuring that our portfolio of proven solutions is optimized with the latest, best-in-class capabilities to create safer societies is key to our mission as a global leader in trusted identities.”

The HID NOMAD 30 Pocket Reader’s PIV-certified sensor enables end-users, such as law enforcement officers, to capture and verify single fingerprints against databases and eliminates the need to transport suspects to a central booking station.

Officers can pair their mobile devices with the biometric reader hardware and perform watchlist matching while in the field, leaving custody space open for confirmed offenders. The HID NOMAD 30 Pocket Reader’s rapid identification capabilities offer improved operational efficiency and reduce time and booking costs associated with processing a suspect in a police station.

HID Global also provides a broad range of biometric identity management solutions to customers beyond law enforcement, such as HID SEEK Avenger handheld biometric reader, a tool used by military bases to identify individuals and provide access to their premises. The HID SEEK Avenger is a multimodal device that can collect flat and roll fingerprints, stand-off iris images, photos and biographic information through an onboard keyboard and optional passport reader. It can operate online and stores large watchlists for offline operations.

HID also recently expanded features for the HID SEEK Avenger biometric reader, including support for Windows 10, an upgraded camera, and double the memory and hard drive capacity for enhanced speed and performance. It also highly rugged with MIL-STD 810G certification and also has a compact package offering that allows for fingerprint, iris and face capture with full on-board PC, keyboard and mouse in a 9.5” x 6.2” x 1.8” form factor.

“HID’s palm and tenprint scanners have been serving law enforcement agencies for more than 20 years, and our latest enhancements address our customers’ needs for cost-effective solutions that continue to extend mobility and increase efficiency in the field,” said Russell Megonigal, Senior Product Manager for Biometric Hardware, HID Global. “The HID NOMAD 30 Pocket Reader extends support from inside the police station into the field, enabling police officers to achieve better performance and helping them keep communities safe. Similarly, military personnel have unique needs that extend beyond fixed readers in a static location.”

With the increasing expansion of technologies used within police and military installations, companies such as HID Global will need to continuously adapt to this ever changing demand within the biometrics marketplace, all while managing new policies that place restrictions of these tools. And with the integration of mobile devices into identification capabilities from companies such as HID Global, it is clear that there will be a continued interest in how biometrics can shape that law enforcement landscape.