Cop dramas, comedies and buddy stories rule the airways. From the newest TV cop show Backstrom to Brooklyn 99, Criminal Minds to Law and Order: SVU, there is no shortage of shows, detectives, and characters to choose from. If you wanted to be a cop or detective, which character would you choose—a no-nonsense, straight-talking detective or someone with more of a quirky personality?
Regardless of your choice, one thing is certain – you want the latest and greatest technology available. How boring would an episode of CSI be without the great tech? The same holds true for our men and women patrolling our streets. Keeping us safe can only happen if they are equipped with the best tools for the job. NEC understands the critical nature of this need, which is one of the reasons we dedicate so much time and energy to developing strong tools for law enforcement, such as the new NeoScan 45™ mobile fingerprint collection device.
What Does NeoScan 45 Do?
Many different law enforcement agencies require rapid, positive identification while in the field. Police officers need the ability to confirm identities during patrol stops and field arrests. Homeland security officers require the capability to verify and screen identities against a watch list while patrolling the borders. These public safety officials need compact, fail-proof tools that are portable and easy to use in the field.
To meet these demands, NEC developed NeoScan 45, the thinnest and lightest Fingerprint Acquisition Profile (FAP) level 45 multi-fingerprint capture device available today. The device is .68 inches thin and weighs only 9 ounces. At approximately the same size as many cellphones, it is small and light enough to be used in one hand. It can then be slipped into a pocket or clipped on the belt without being a distraction.
Equipped with a sensor that can capture single and dual, plain and roll fingerprint impressions, NeoScan 45 also has been successfully tested against the FBI Image Quality Specifications (IQS) Appendix F and Mobile ID FAP45 specifications. Larger fingerprint sensors with higher FAP levels, such as NeoScan 45, are more accurate, reduce sequence errors, and offer a higher rate of identification.
NeoScan 45 provides multiple benefits that enhance the ability of law enforcement professionals to do their jobs quickly, including the following.
Intuitive User Interface
The intuitive and easy-to-use interface helps reduce capture errors and wrong finger sequence captures. The ease of use also makes skipping over missing or scarred fingerprints simple. Easy-to-see indicators provide scanning prompts and confirmation while fingerprint images are validated as high quality by the built-in FBI NIST Fingerprint Image Quality (NFIQ) fingerprint image test prior to the green scan acceptance light. NeoScan 45 offers a battery life that surpasses other comparable devices (minimum of 200 scans per day and 24 hours of standby time).
Streamlined Processing
ADD, NEW, and SCAN buttons help speed the process of scanning multiple individuals while in the field. Also, the built-in magnetic card stripe reader allows rapid downloading of demographic data by swiping ID cards. Unlike older fingerprint capture devices, the NeoScan 45 can work with Android® and Apple® iOS smart phones and tablets and is compatible with wireless protocols such as Bluetooth or WiFi networking.
Integrated Suite of Tools
In addition to the built-in support to provide immediate feedback on the quality of captured fingerprints, the unit can be easily configured to support multiple fingerprint capture profiles including simultaneous capture of two fingers (e.g. right index and middle fingers) or four fingers (right index and middle fingers followed by left index and middle fingers), or 10 individually rolled fingerprints. NeoScan 45 also supports capture and storage of multiple fingerprint sets from different individuals that that can later be downloaded to a host tablet or smart device.
Once captured, the fingerprint images are quickly downloaded to a host computer to interface with most Automated Fingerprint Identification Systems (AFIS) solutions, including NEC’s Integra-ID® Multimodal Biometrics Identification Solution (MBIS), as well as NEC’s NeoFace® Smart ID and Smart LC applications. These applications provide a multimodal solution for face, finger, latent and voice recognition. Smart ID aids in field identification by using descriptive data entry as well as enabling the user to search or enroll captured biometrics and data. Smart LC facilitates evidence and latent collection and also enables remote AFIS latent searches.
When in the field, law enforcement professionals do not have the luxury of time. Making the proper identification quickly and easily is important. Whether it is serving warrants, securing the borders or making a routine traffic stop, quick, accurate identification is key. With modern technology such as the NeoScan 45, a single person in the field using a device smaller than a paperback book can now do in real-time what once took a team of people days to complete. When seconds matter, it’s nice to know that law enforcement can be equipped with technology that is accurate, fast and mobile!