L-1 installs full-hand ID biometrics system in Texas

L-1 Identity Solutions Inc. has upgraded the biometrics identification system for the state of Texas under a contract valued at $2.5 million.

The contract called for L-1 Biometrics Division to upgrade the existing L-1 TouchPrint live scan systems by incorporating full-hand scanners.

In addition to capturing electronic finger and facial images, law enforcement and investigators across Texas can also capture full hand prints that are sent to the statewide criminal automated fingerprint identification system (AFIS).

Local law enforcement agencies searching latent palm prints against the AFIS now will have high-quality full hand images to search against for improved matching accuracy, L-1 officials said.

In addition, using L-1 full-hand live scan systems will enable Texas to comply with aspects of the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006, legislation that established a comprehensive national system for the registration of sex offenders and offenders against children. The law requires, among other things, that local jurisdictions include a photo, fingerprints and palm prints as part of the offender registry.

“Given the high number of partial and full palm prints left at crime scenes, we believe that rapidly populating our database with palm print images will be essential for solving more crimes,” said Mike Lesko, deputy administrator of the state’s Crime Records Service.

Tens of thousands of L-1 live scans are in operation across the United States and in more than 20 countries, said Robert LaPenta, chairman, president and chief executive of L-1, of Stamford, Conn.