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MORIS iPhone App Lets Cops Instantly ID Criminals with Snapshots

by Amar Toor on June 16, 2010 at 05:50 PM

brockton police facial recognition app
As any fan of 'The Wire' can tell you, clearly identifying criminal targets can be one of the most arduous tasks investigators face. Unlike Jimmy McNulty's Baltimore department, though, Brockton, Massachusetts police will soon be able to skip the whole wiretap, fiber-optics camera routine, thanks to a new iPhone app.

The new system, called MORIS (Mobile Offender Recognition and Identification System), allows policemen to use their iPhones to take photos of suspects, which are then compared to a database of other criminal mugshots that the state is currently compiling. As the Patriot Ledger reports, the app uses facial recognition technology to identify the suspicious person within seconds, and officials say that MORIS will eventually feature iris- and fingerprint-recognition abilities, as well. The app was developed by BI2 Technologies, with New Hampshire-based Animetrics contributing its facial recognition technology. According to Animetrics president Paul Schuepp, the app can automatically translate two-dimensional images into three-dimensional pictures, thus enhancing analytical capabilities.

Authorities hope that this new technology can streamline preliminary investigations by allowing policemen and women to instantly identify a targeted suspect on the fly. As with any new, high-tech, crime-fighting device, though, MORIS will probably be subject to a fair amount of criticism from civil rights advocates, concerned about the potential for an entire police squad to walk around snapping photos of random individuals. Brockton Police Chief William Conlon, however, insists, "We are not going to just randomly stop people. It will be used when someone has done something."

Brockton is reportedly the first police department in the country to obtain this kind of handheld technology, but others are expected to follow suit. We'd still like to have a more concrete definition of when and how officers will be allowed to use the app, and we'd like to see how it performs when, say, police are pursuing a fleeing suspect. But if it's used within well-defined legal boundaries, it could go a long way toward making a tough job somewhat easier. [From: PatriotLedger, via: Gizmodo]


Tags: animetrics, crime, FacialRecognition, fingerprint, FingerprintScanner, iphone, iphone app, IphoneApp, iris, law, moris, photo, police, top

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