Technical Deep Dive
Livescan & Biometric Architecture
"Garbage In, Garbage Out"
In the landscape of law enforcement biometrics, Livescan is the most undervalued tool. It is the critical "First Mile" for the data used to solve crimes.
I recall a specific case where a crime lab leader told me they missed a local ID on a high-profile crime because their own livescan capture was poor quality. They only solved it by taking the latent print to a neighboring county that had invested in better capture standards.
When a crime is solved, we recognize detectives and CSIs. We need to recognize the Booking Officer. Without their work, the entire ABIS identification ecosystem fails.
Workflow Criticality
Pre-Book & Identification Strategy1. The Pre-Book Biometric
I strongly encourage capturing a biometric during pre-book. This allows agencies to ID a "John Doe" early, preventing costly data correction errors later. More importantly, if the subject is dangerous, you give the officer intel that could save their life before the cuffs come off.
2. Error-Proofing the Chaos
Intake is chaotic—fights, inebriated subjects, noise. In the heat of the moment, it is easy to mix biometrics with the wrong demographics. Integrating pre-book data creates a "hard link" that prevents these costly mistakes.
System Integration
JMS & CCH Data Flow1. Eliminate Data Entry
Even small agencies should interface Jail Management (JMS) to Livescan. This is a molehill, not a mountain. The interface should do one key thing: Eliminate data entry on the Livescan. The Livescan capture is for biometrics only.
2. The Single Source of Truth
I don't like CCH data to be owned by Livescan or ABIS. I prefer the JMS or Record Management System to own the Charge Tables and provide validation. This prevents data inconsistency between local repositories and State/Fed feeds.
Officer Safety is Paramount
Intake is an area that needs strong diligence. The entire ecosystem must be considered—from eliminating items on tables that could be used as weapons, to the ergonomic design of the scanner itself.
Hardware Hygiene
Cabinets must be bolted down. Cables must be inaccessible (anti-strangulation). Screens should be touch-enabled and responsive. If the hardware isn't ruggedized for a hostile environment, it is a liability.
Workflow Focus
Suppliers often miss the mark here. They leave unused screens and fields active. If you aren't capturing Iris or DNA, remove those steps. The process needs to keep the officer’s eyes on the subject, not staring at a monitor.
Streamlined Printing
Do not force officers to walk away to retrieve a wristband or ID card. Printers should be integrated into the workflow, or moved to a separate "Safe Zone" for post-booking administration.
"The goal is to keep the officer’s eyes
on the subject,
not the technology."
Future-Proofing the Investment
Livescans often run on a 7-10 year lifecycle. This is too long. The ability to support OS security updates degrades over time. Agencies buying today must plan for the tech of tomorrow.
Iris Capture
Exponential Growth: Agencies are starting to plan implementation now. Even if you aren't matching today, capturing the dataset during intake builds the repository for the future.
RapidDNA Integration
The 2-5 Year Horizon: DNA will never replace booking fingerprints, but the data collection should be integrated into the Livescan workflow to avoid creating "Data Islands."
Contactless
Supplemental Power: Contactless is not yet suitable for replacing Appendix F bookings. However, for latent comparisons, it can capture detail (like scars) that contact scanners miss.
The "Ah-Ha" Moment: Contactless Detail
Years ago, I was managing a demo room with a talented latent examiner. We walked a customer through a journey using a Contactless system enrolling to an ABIS.
The subject had a scar on their finger. When we compared the Contactless print to the Contact print, we realized how much more topological detail the contactless image provided regarding the scar structure.
While it contradicts the "speed" argument, taking that extra 10-20 seconds to capture a contactless sample gives officers better information to solve difficult latent cases later.
Walt Stelz
BCP CEO
"The best algorithm in the world
cannot fix a bad image."
It all starts at the First Mile.