(COMTEX) B: Fingerprint Identification Technology Yields Unprecedente
B: Fingerprint Identification Technology Yields Unprecedented Results for
Biloxi Police Department NEC's AFIS21 solves $15,000 jewelry burglary and helps
close otherwise unsolvable crimes
BILOXI, Miss., Jan 29, 2001 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- NEC Technologies, Inc. today
announced that the Biloxi Police Department (PD) has experienced a significant
increase in the number of investigative leads generated since gaining access to
the state's AFIS21(tm) database.
In fact, the Biloxi PD recently solved a major burglary case in which $15,000 in
jewelry was taken from an area motor home. Once fingerprint evidence was entered
into the system, a positive match was produced in only minutes.
The Biloxi PD purchased an NEC workstation to remotely access the state's AFIS21
database in April 1999. The contract is valued at just over $100,000. Prior to
this, investigators had to manually compare fingerprint records against prints
sitting in repositories, a time-consuming and costly effort.
"This system is an invaluable tool for solving crimes as quickly as possible by
making accurate and positive identifications," said Investigator Rodney
Fountain, Biloxi PD. "It recently helped us solve a church burglary on the same
day it occurred, before we even had a chance to assign the case to an
investigator."
The NEC system's exceptional matching technology allows investigators to process
and match latent prints - fingerprints found at the scene of a crime - with
unsurpassed speed and accuracy. This year alone, Biloxi has made 129 latent
print hits, accounting for over 40 percent of the state's total latent print
matches.
The number of hits is in part due to the efforts of Inspector Robert Burriss,
who has been responsible for capturing and storing the records of unidentified
crime scene prints since 1979. This latent print evidence, combined with the
capabilities of AFIS21, means that matches can now be made in minutes, without
the name of a suspect. This saves countless hours of investigation time and
provides investigators with additional leads.
"We're extremely impressed with the results that AFIS21 has garnered for Biloxi
in only the first year of operation," said Ron Smith, Associate Director of the
Mississippi Crime Lab. "In my opinion, it's the best money Biloxi and the state
have ever spent on law enforcement."
The database currently holds 200,000 tenprint records, with the ability to store
up to 500,000 records. AFIS21 can also process up to 400 tenprint matching
inquiries per day, and in the past has processed 24 latent print inquiries in
one day.
"Biloxi's success with AFIS21 is a perfect example of the increasing role
technology is playing in law enforcement," said Tony Doonan, Vice President, NEC
Technologies' AFIS Division. "The teaming of law enforcement agencies and tools
like AFIS21 will make criminals think twice about committing crimes."
NEC Technologies' AFIS Division
NEC Technologies' AFIS Division is recognized as an industry leader in biometric
technologies, having developed some of the first automated methods of
identifying people by their physiological characteristics. NEC provides
identification solutions for industries including law enforcement, healthcare,
government, financial and other applications requiring network security.
Headquartered in Sacramento, Ca., NEC Technologies Inc., a wholly owned
subsidiary of NEC Corporation, is a leading manufacturer of computer peripherals
and other technology products for the North American market. Information on NEC
AFIS and its products can be obtained by calling 1-800-777-2347 or on the Web at
nectech.com.
CONTACT: High Road Communications
Marisa Marzano, 613/236-0909
mmarzano@highroad.com
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KEYWORD: CALIFORNIA MISSISSIPPI
INDUSTRY KEYWORD: COMPUTERS/ELECTRONICS
HARDWARE
PRODUCT
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