Innovatrics ABIS propels Brazil’s PCDF to national leader in solving violent crimes

Brazilian police and forensic pathologists are making use of Innovatrics ABIS to successfully identify dead people and solve cold cases.

The forensic technology Automatic Biometric Identification Systems (ABIS) has helped Brazil’s Polícia Civil do Distrito Federal (PCDF) achieve some of the highest resolution rates in the country, propelling the PCDF to become a national leader in solving violent crimes, according to the company.

The Medical Examiner’s Office in Brasília can point to a 99 percent positive identification rate using fingerprint analysis as it examines over 1,700 bodies each year. This impressive identification rate rests not only on expertise but on the integration of modern biometric technologies incorporating fingerprints, face biometrics and advanced latent print analysis.

Together, these biometric tools have helped to close old cases whilst tackling new ones. Innovatrics highlights a 2023 case, the gruesome Itapuã family murder case, where the PCDF identified the victims using advanced fingerprint matching even as the killers tried to speed up decomposition. The latent fingerprint technology was also employed in identifying the culprits who were eventually convicted.

Innovatrics’ latent fingerprint matching algorithm is ranked first in the NIST ELFT benchmark. The firm also relies on AI and machine learning to improve accuracy, speed and reliability by learning from vast datasets and refining their recognition capabilities over time.

The PCDF are combining biometrics and advanced forensic technologies, such as age-progression software in missing children cases, in their investigative process with automation of latenting fingerprint matching and facial recognition analysis providing efficiencies.

Innovatrics updated ABIS for law enforcement agencies this year, introducing ACE-V methodology (Analysis, Comparison, Evaluation and Verification), a forensic process used mostly in fingerprint and latent print examination that ensures identifications are systematic, repeatable and scientifically validated.

“With it, multiple forensic examiners are able to review different examinations independently, or tag examinations with the appropriate status,” Innovatrics said. “This keeps the entire process well-documented and also increases transparency.”

The process helps law enforcement officers prepare cases for courts and maintain compliance with forensic standards.

Article Topics

ABIS  |  biometric identification  |  biometric matching  |  biometrics  |  Brazil  |  facial recognition  |  fingerprint biometrics  |  forensics  |  Innovatrics  |  law enforcement