Fingerprints leave mark on law enforcement with news from Blue Biometrics, NEC

In 2024 the FBI celebrates 100 years of fingerprinting technology, which continues to roll out new innovations in the present. Kenneth King, CEO of Blue Biometrics, notes the milestone on a LinkedIn post announcing a new version of LEA Blue, software that converts smartphone cameras to law enforcement-grade contactless fingerprint scanners.

“LEA Blue has reliable fast capture of ten prints with an operationally practical UX and excellent image quality,” King writes. “As we refine the app, we will welcome police, border and other government agencies to provide their feedback. Briefings are also available on Blue’s pipeline of biometric innovations for national security applications.”

NEC has outfitted their Integrated Biometric Workstation (IBW) with updated algorithms and new capabilities. A post on LinkedIn says its “Lifetime Algorithm Updates via EverBlu, a brand-new web app featuring an optimized user experience”, unlocks “next-level investigations” for law enforcement agencies.

“We re-designed IBW by placing the user experience first which allows a way to get through case work more efficiently and with greater results,” says Eugene Le Roux, senior Vice President of digital government identity at NEC America.

Fingerprint scanners have also seen recent pickup by law enforcement in Brazil, where HID’s biometric tenprint scanner has been deployed by law enforcement at 500 police stations throughout São Paulo for identity verification and criminal booking.

In reflections made during an address in July 2024, FBI Director Christopher Ray says the FBI has received and processed a billion electronic fingerprint transactions, and that new biometric modalities have been added to the agency’s arsenal, the latest of which is the NGI iris service. “You want to talk about the textbook illustration of innovation,” says Wray – that’s law enforcement. “The FBI’s leadership in biometrics is saving lives in innovative ways.”

Article Topics

biometric identification  |  biometrics  |  Blue Biometrics  |  criminal ID  |  fingerprint biometrics  |  fingerprint recognition  |  NEC  |  NEC America  |  police