Booz Allen has announced a new device designed to help law enforcement and the military conduct immediate fingerprint analysis at an incident scene – saving precious time in the initial stages of an investigation.
The spookily named VAMPIRE device is handheld and conducts real-time forensic analysis in the field. According to Booz it can perform fast, accurate, on-site latent and live fingerprint identification and matching analysis in just seconds.
The company told Planet Biometrics: “Vampire is not just a biometric device answering the question of ‘Who are you?’ but is a forensic device that can answer ‘Who was here?’ in under a minute.”
Not much larger than the average smartphone and weighing in at 1.8 lbs, the ruggedized tool integrates fingerprint analysis into a commercial mobile-device, enabling operators with minimal specialized training to perform advanced fingerprint processing. Designed for ease of use, the VAMPIRE device is a high-end tool that requires little forensic knowledge to perform advanced forensic processing, allowing agents arriving on scene to quickly collect any fingerprint evidence that may prove critical to the investigation.
The VAMPIRE device digitally captures latent fingerprint images directly from various surfaces using no lifting tape, which minimizes potential damage to fingerprints and results in better quality forensic evidence, Booz said. VAMPIRE also conducts both live and latent identification to an onboard watch list and performs latent-to-latent matching, resulting in quick, easy identification of potentially critical leads.
“In today’s forensic environment, whether in a military, humanitarian, homeland security or law enforcement scenario, every second counts,” said Adam Weiner, a principal with Booz Allen. “By putting the VAMPIRE device in the hands of investigators, we can greatly reduce the time it takes to get valuable forensic information that could break open a case. VAMPIRE makes it possible to begin the forensic collection and analysis process before a trail goes cold and does so in ways that allow for faster pursuit of persons of interest.”
Booz Allen will be demonstrating the VAMPIRE device at the 121st Annual International Association of Chiefs of Police Conference and Law Enforcement Education and Technology Exposition in Orlando, FL.
Source: Planetbiometrics
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