Police in San Bernardino Valley using biometrics during sweeps

Californian cities are now using biometric systems during crime sweeps.

The police departments of Barstow, Fontana, Upland, Montclair, San Bernardino and Redlands, along with the California Highway Patrol have been tapped to participate in bi-weekly sweeps.

Most recently, about 100 law enforcement officers from multiple agencies participated in the project known as the “San Bernardino Movement Against Street Hoodlums” or SMASH. Suspects with outstanding warrants, in the possession of illegal drugs and with gang affiliations were arrested and brought into police stations for questioning.

The arrested individuals were initially processed in the field where they were their fingerprints were scanned.  The prints were then analyzed in a database vis-à-vis a mobile computer network that sends results within minutes after the scan. The technology being used is similar to the biometric identification systems being adopted by the military.

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Article Topics

biometrics  |  fingerprinting  |  identification  |  law enforcement