Detention Deputy Uses Biometrics to Ferret Out Inmate's Identity

Often when people are arrested, they refuse to tell law enforcement officers their real names. This was the case recently when the Zephyrhills Police Department arrested a man for one count of uttering a forged instrument, eight counts of possession of counterfeit payment instrument, three counts of possession of a fictitious drivers license and one count of obstruction by disguised person.

The suspect was not cooperative with detention deputies who were booking him into the Land O' Lakes Detention Center. He refused to provide his correct name, date of birth or social security number. Deputy Keith Adams took the inmate's photograph and then downloaded his image into a new software program that was designed for such situations.

Using the science of biometrics, Dep. Adams was able to identify the inmate in less than five minutes. The facial recognition software program compared the characteristics of the unknown man's face to other photos in a multi-agency database. Five positive photograph matches to the suspect were developed and Dep. Adams was able to use side-by-side comparisons to positively identify the 43-year-old man. It was determined that he had three additional warrants out of Brevard County, including two violations of probation for grand theft, and fraudulent use of a credit card.

Photo: A photograph of an unknown individual is quickly matched to other photos in a state-wide database.

"(Arrested individuals) are not the most cooperative when they come into booking," said Intake Supervisor Lt. Barbara Taylor. "We do get about four or five 'John or Jane Does' a month, and this new program can help us determine their identity." Taylor explained that individuals must have been arrested before and have a mugshot in the database in order to have a comparison. But it has also been used to determine that an unknown illegal alien had not been arrested before.

The new program is a cooperative effort with the Pinellas Sheriff's Office, which received a $3.5 million grant from the U.S. Dept. of Defense as part of an anti-terrorism initiative. This is the first "hit," or identification, by the Pasco Sheriff's Office since installing the program and using it in their booking process. Facial recognition software uses mathematical algorithms to match characteristics such as distance between facial features to determine possible hits. Pasco Sheriff's Office detectives also have training in and access to the program to assist them in their law enforcement duties.

Right: Dep. Keith Adams was able to quickly identify an uncooperative and unknown inmate in the Land O' Lakes booking process recently.