Archive for the 'Crime' Category

3VR Security, Inc., the pioneers of searchable surveillance, today announced a new standard for intelligent video management across the enterprise. 3VR Version 5.0 is the industry’s first video surveillance platform to federate facial surveillance data enabling face watchlists, alerts, and searches across distributed systems. Version 5.0 also includes an API enabling integration and search of data across 3rd party systems like transaction management, POS, and access control. Other new features include enterprise system health monitoring, expanded video input support, and smaller, quieter hardware.”The largest drivers of loss, vulnerability, and operational cost stem from the inability effectively manage systems and share the critical intelligence across distributed environments,” said Stephen Russell, CEO of 3VR Security. “With Version 5.0, shared watchlists and federated searches can be deployed to stop suspects wherever and whenever they strike.”

Building on existing features, Version 5.0 expands 3VR’s leading facial surveillance features to include single-click publishing of watchlists and instant searches across distributed systems. The new API available in 5.0 allows users to search not only video data like people, objects, and activity, but also data from 3rd party systems. For retail banks this means linking faces to transactions across branches, even if a suspect assumes a false identity.

Other new features in Version 5.0 include:

“A unified, 360-degree view of user activity across physical and logical systems is a frequently neglected milestone in physical and logical integration,” noted Mark Diodati, Identity and Privacy Strategies Analyst for Burton Group. “Organizations interested in this milestone require a physical security event monitoring mechanism that can index activity, identify users, and integrate into their logical security event correlation systems.”

Sense Holdings, Inc. (OTCBB:SEHO) (FWB:OUP), a developer of next-generation biometric and explosive detection security technologies for government and commercial security markets, announced a consulting partnership Kroll, Moss, & Kroll, LLP for representation to congressional, military and other government agencies.

The partnership was forged to promote Sense’s portfolio of sophisticated, handheld explosive detection and biometric security technologies. The Kroll group, based in Garden City, N.Y., also plans to work with port authorities, police departments and other security agencies, as well as commercial organizations such as multinational chemical and shipping companies.

“We believe Sense’s state-of-the-art technology platform and product initiatives can provide important help in protecting our homeland,” said Martin Kroll, Managing Director at Kroll, Moss & Kroll. “In our partnership with Sense Holdings, our goal is to get these security products to market as soon as practical.”

“Sense is aligning itself with key government consultants and insiders, and Mr. Kroll is among the most influential,” said Dore Perler, Chief Executive Officer of Sense Holdings, Inc. “We sealed this partnership as our MEMS-chips explosive detection technology recently reached the next stage of development. Our goal is to reach the market and start generating more awareness in the near future.”

Sense has a history of cooperation with the U.S. Government, including its current affiliation with Oak Ridge National Laboratory, a division of the U.S. Department of Energy, to develop and optimize a complete line of advanced handheld detectors for explosives and other dangerous threats applying the Company’s proprietary Micro Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) technology.

Sense is the sole commercialization partner with exclusive rights for the manufacture, sale and distribution of MEMS-based handheld devices. The technology to date has been funded by several government agencies, such as the Department of Energy (DOE); Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF); Federal Aviation Administration (FAA); Transportation Security Administration (TSA); and others.

Recently, the U.S. Army purchased Sense’s biometric ISO-TRACK security solution. The order was comprised of seven complete systems for identifying military personnel and additional security measures. Sense has combined its DTU-1000, a biometric fingerprint reader, its proprietary recognition pad, USB digital camera, and the custom ISO-TRACK software.

While it might be very difficult to detect benign chemicals that could make an explosive when mixed together, it is not nearly as difficult to detect traces of potentially dangerous chemicals on the fingers of individuals who recently have been in contact with them.At the University at Buffalo’s multidisciplinary Center for Unified Biometrics and Sensors, (CUBS) researchers from several academic departments have proposed development of a biometric sensor that could detect such traces on the fingers of airline passengers.

“An individual never can be absolutely certain that he or she has completely eliminated all traces of such chemicals from their skin,” said Venu Govindaraju, Ph.D., CUBS director and professor of computer science and engineering.

Such a biometric sensor could be programmed to detect traces of certain chemicals, Govindaraju said. Such a sensor could be programmed to detect numerous potentially hazardous or questionable substances or chemicals simultaneously, he said. The sensor also could capture multiple modalities, such as fingerprints, palm prints and hand geometry.

Govindaraju is working on this project with colleague Frank Bright, Ph.D., UB Distinguished Professor of Chemistry in the College of Arts and Sciences; Alexander Cartwright, Ph.D., professor, and Albert Titus, Ph.D., assistant professor, both in the Department of Electrical Engineering in the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences.

The UB researchers began designing the device nearly a year ago in the context of cross-border security, specifically in Western New York, which is home to several busy U.S.-Canada border crossings.

In that context, the researchers proposed that fingerprint sensors could be accessed during the conversation that border crossers have with customs agents before being allowed into the country; such access could even be automated, Govindaraju said.

Detection of legitimate chemical traces, such as pharmaceuticals for instance, could trigger a request for a prescription so that ordinary commerce and transportation would not be significantly impacted, he said.

The CUBS researchers are exploring funding opportunities for such a biometric sensor.

Read more at Newswise.

Following the foiled bomb plot to bring down up to 10 trans-atlantic passenger planes, security at airports in Europe and North America has been considerably bolstered.  The increased presence of armed police that follows any terror scare was there, but the unprecidented move to ban all hand luggage reared its head for the first time.

Passengers were allowed only the most essential items onto the plane, after suspected al-Quieda terrorists had planned to detonate bombs concocted from spotrs drinks, chemical gels and common electrical devices like mobile phones or CD players.  Liquids must now be tasted by the passenger to prove they are not the feared liquid explosive.

What does this mean for biometrics?  Well, we all knew security, especially on airlines, would only tighten with time.  The events of this week may have shunted the progress of a widespread adoption of biometric identification at ports and borders.

Biometrics may help security at airports, but it will take a good system and foolproof scanning method to ensure the determined terrorists fail in their extremist endeavors.  Within a few years, I am sure we’ll look back on the years gone by and wonder how we allowed such luggage freedom in the first place.

Canadian faces to be precise. Just recently announced by the Canadian passport office are plans to start building a computerized database storing the faces of every Canadian. The system will scan the faces of those crossing Canadian borders while checking if they match the faces of those on a ‘wanted’ list.

A regional trial will be conducted in spring 2007 with the aim of making the tool available to passport offices across the country by fall 2007.

Read more here.