Analysis & Commentary:

DIGITAL DATA BECOMES CRIME-FIGHTING TOOL

As reported by Marsha Walton, you're mugged at your neighborhood ATM by a masked gunman who knocks you unconscious. The only thing the bank camera captures is a picture of his forearm. Should you kiss goodbye any chance of an arrest -- as well as your cash?

Not necessarily.

As part of the computer records and identification system in California's Los Angeles County, detectives have access to a database of scars, marks and tattoos. So if your mugger is a repeat offender, that skull and crossbones captured by the surveillance camera could match up with rap sheet -- and your attacker could see the inside of a jail cell.

That somewhat exotic capability is one aspect of a data-sharing system designed to put thousands of officers on the same digital page.

Currently all 49 law enforcement jurisdictions in Los Angeles use software that creates a digital record including mug shot, fingerprints, criminal history, plus those tattoos. So whether a jailer enters the information in Santa Monica, Pasadena, or downtown, it's immediately available to all other agencies in the county.

That speed is a far cry from the mug shots taken with a Polaroid camera when Detective Steve Bucher joined the LAPD more than 27 years ago. And rounding up enough similar-looking people to fill a lineup could be an all-day ordeal.

TV and the films have long dramatized the police lineup, with a witness looking at possible suspects from behind a two-way mirror. But Bucher says the portable lineup he can create with a huge database of digital photos saves time, money and stress on victims and witnesses.

"We can print them out within five minutes, and show it to the individual in less than a minute. Then they're on their way, they don't have to be victimized twice by us wasting their time. It speeds up an apprehension and possibly the recovery of their property," said Bucher.

'Not necessarily logical'

Along with mug shots and arrest records, ImageWare's software can create composite sketches from witnesses' descriptions.

Designing a records system that would work for detectives and cops on the beat was no easy task, said Lt. Greg Morgon of the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department.

"Programmers and engineers are logical people," said Morgon. "Police work is not necessarily logical. Sometimes it's intuitive. We do things that sometimes are confusing to a typical engineer."

Officers from Los Angeles and San Diego worked with ImageWare Systems to create something that would work and could expand.

"We drove along with them to different sorts of crimes, everything from domestics to homicide to burglary to robbery in an effort to learn exactly how police think," said Jim Miller, ImageWare CEO.

Along with mug shots and arrest records, the software can help create composite sketches from witnesses' descriptions. Officers can mix and match hair, eyes, mustaches and other facial features. In addition to creating an instant "wanted" poster, the composite can then be used to make comparisons with images of previous offenders.

"You can take facial-recognition software and run that composite through a database of criminals you have on file already, and see whether there's any kind of resemblance in there," said Miller.

Edge over bad guys

Along with mug shots and arrest records, ImageWare's software can create composite sketches from witnesses' descriptions. Since September 11, some law enforcement agencies have taken a new look at what information they focus on and how it is shared.

"Very honestly, a year ago I wasn't too concerned about having information on terrorists," said Morgon. "Now that's become crucial."

The Los Angeles system does share some information with the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS), flagging suspects who have been previously deported.

There are both turf and privacy issues involved in a vast expansion of databases, questions about motor vehicle records and proposals for a national identity card. Some civil liberties groups are concerned about the "Big Brother" possibilities of such files.

Security is also a concern, says Morgon, since government systems are routine targets of criminal hackers. He says the biggest challenge now is improving communication with other federal agencies.

Detective Steve Bucher says the streamlining and time saving of routine tasks gives him a bit of an edge over the bad guys.

"You want to get this individual into custody as fast as possible. That reduces the chances of him doing this to another victim, breaking into another house, committing another murder or bank robbery," he said.