Face biometrics app aids Dominican police in 800 arrests

The Dominican Republic has reported the arrest of 843 fugitives and criminal suspects in absentia in just four months using the National Police’s new face biometrics system.

Law enforcement on patrol compared live photos of individuals with document images using a mobile app. The “Citizen Purging and Biometric Identification System” reportedly can issue warnings when a scanned individual has a pending arrest warrant. It can also flag if they have a criminal record or own firearms.

According to a press release, the facial recognition system was installed in June in 2,087 police phones. That number is expected to reach 6,000 nationwide in the first quarter of 2023. These are connected to a government database with over 10 million records, operated by the Central Electoral Board.

The system is part of a broader initiative to modernize the Dominican’s police forces.

Police have also used mobile biometrics in attempts to identify wanted individuals in other nations from the UK to India.

The Dominican Republic has previously been alleged to use its digital ID system in in exclusionary practices, however.

The news comes amidst the implementation of new biometric passports in the Dominican Republic.

Article Topics

biometric identification  |  biometrics  |  criminal ID  |  Dominican Republic  |  face biometrics  |  facial recognition  |  mobile app  |  police