Local News

NSW Police Department Tells Crims to FaceIt

May 22nd, 2001

New South Wales Police Department has asserted its dedication towards improving suspect identification technologies with the selection of a FaceIt® enabled law enforcement management system designed by ImageWare Systems. The New South Wales Police Department is the largest in Australia, and is one of the largest police departments in the world.

ImageWare's Crime Capture System™ and Face ID™ software systems use Visionics' FaceIt® technology to allow customers to quickly create, archive, search, retrieve and share digital photographs and criminal history records.

"Due to its robustness in working with a variety of image qualities and formats, including composite sketches and live images, FaceIt® has become the de facto standard within the law enforcement community," said Dr. Joseph J. Atick, president and CEO of Visionics Corporation, an ImageWare business parter. "Our strong partnership with ImageWare ensures delivery of superior systems to meet continued market demand and we are pleased to expand these offerings to the Australian market."

Jim Miller, ImageWare chairman and chief executive officer, said, "The award is part of a large-scale pilot project, which could result in other services within Australia adopting the system. ImageWare products will provide the New South Wales Police Service with the latest software for managing criminal history records and photos, integrating seamlessly with the leading facial recognition technology. This will allow photo line-ups to be created quickly and easily for distribution to police officers. The contract award is in keeping with our strategy of expanding geographically, partnering with major integrators, and broadening our opportunities for growth."

Nola Watson, New South Wales Police Service Director, Information Intelligence Centre said, "This system will revolutionize the way police use information and technology to identify offenders and reduce crime."

FaceIt®-enabled criminal justice systems are used by numerous law enforcement agencies throughout the U.S., and is becoming an integral component in enhancing CCTV systems, as illustrated by its use in major city centers throughout the UK.