In Case You Missed It: Get a Mobile Fingerprint Scanner on Patrol

In case you missed it (a whole lot didn't, you'll read about that later): Released early May 2017, LEOs can use the FIVE-0 from Integrated Biometrics to scan four fingers all at once with a small, lightweight attachment to a smartphone. 

No returning to the station for enrollment.

No waiting.

Remain in the field and capture as much information as you can as soon as possible. 

The FIVE-0 (pronounced "five-oh", but the number zero instead of the letter) FAP50 scanner is about the size of an iPhone 7. Aside from the obvious, this size allows a number of benefits: 

• Mobile, instant fingerprinting to rule-out citizens when searching for a suspect and avoid transporting/detaining the wrong person.  
• On-site identification can identify victims faster. Notifying next-of-kin and family can take place much more quickly, minimizing agonizing wait times.  
• Fast mobile-booking technology supports civil rights and the safety of suspects by minimizing the need to detain and/or transport people in large-scale police actions (demonstrations, riots, etc.)  
• Rapid, accurate ID of bystanders and victims speeds investigation and identification. 

The clever name itself isn't just lucky happenstance. "The name comes from the fingerprint acquisition protocol the FBI established for that particular size scanner," says Integrated Biometrics' CEO Steve Thies. The FIVE-0 was certified in January 2017 in the FBI Certified Products List. Integrated Biometrics explains the name more in a press release, "The FAP50 scanning surface is 3.2 inches by 2 inches in size." 

As of early July, there are over 770 products in the list but inclusion isn't an endorsement: "The Certified Product List (CPL) provides users with a list of products that have been tested and are in compliance with Next Generation Identification image quality specifications (IQS) regarding the capture of friction ridge images. Specifications and standards other than image quality may still need to be met. Appearance on the CPL is not, and should not be construed as, an FBI endorsement, nor should it be relied upon for any requirement beyond IQS. Users should contact their State CJIS Systems Officer (CSO) or Information Security Officer (ISO) to ensure compliance with the necessary policies and/or guidelines."

The company likes to name their product's after memorable characters: Sherlock, Watson, Kojack, and Columbo – all fingerprint scanners of various sizes. All of which can be found on the FBI's CPL. 

Integrated Biometrics have been in the mobile product industry since 2013 and evolved from the standard scanners to capturing all four-fingers at once. They recognized the intersection where need and technological ability met and sought out to develop a product to enable field bookings around the world all while keeping the hardware about the accepted (and familiar) size of a smartphone. 

In comparison, larger 10 print scanners can hardly be considered "mobile", running about 6 inches by 6 inches by 6 inches, weighing about 5 pounds – some requiring so much power they needed to be plugged into a wall. Imagine dragging that extension cord around, or draining that from your vehicle's battery. "[The] FIVE-0 weighs less than a half a pound and is the size of a modern-day smartphone," says Thies.  

It’s the size and pairing with modern technology Thies sees mobile booking as a possible force multiplier as well as a tool to ease budget constraints. "You find so many [suspects] 25 miles from the booking station...budgets are limited so this is a budget stretching option that's going to enable law officers to do more with less and take better care of public safety," he says. 

On the street 

With any technological device for a law enforcement officer comes the need for it to – well – not break. Integrated Biometrics connects its FIVE-0 to Android and Windows based smartphones with an 8 to 12 inch long USB cable. Longer lengths can be purchases separately. While it seems everything "high-tech" is going Bluetooth and Wi-Fi these days, they chose a physical cord for speed and security reasons. Either connected to a smartphone or the mobile data terminal in the squad car, a software development kit is provided for departments to ensure the device can connect to data management systems in place. 

Integrated Biometrics also provides a little leather case for the FIVE-0, but it's not meant to stand up to the rigors brought to other rugged tech products like Toughbooks. "It's kind of like a Garmin in terms of size and durability," says Thies. "You can treat it pretty ruggedly but if you're going to put it into a bag with a bunch of metal and guns, you'd want to put it in a leather case." 

Thies explains that they built it water resistant enough to withstand some rain and debris, but not – say – a swim (so no diving 6 feet underwater to sneak up to a suspect on a boat). Wet or not, the technology inside the FIVE-0 doesn't allow latent prints. "That's one of the things about our technology, it doesn't require to be an absolutely clean of dirt," says Thies. "But the hand that goes onto it has to be at least wiped off...it'll still work with a moist hand. If it's wet blood it'll probably need to be wiped off, if it's dried blood it'll probably be ok." 

 In short, treat anything you're connecting to your phone just as careful. 

One of the factors attributing towards a lower power consumption, and Appendix F FBI-certified, AFIS-compliant scanner - all in a small size – is the LES technology platen. The FIVE-0 doesn't use glass but instead it's scanners use an electroluminescent polymer to generate fingerprint images. A laminated film is applied directly to a thin film transistor camera, allowing for a much smaller package than backlit prism-based designs. 

A quick success

Since it's release, Integrated Biometrics reports it's received more than 2,000 orders already (according to a June 27 press release). As stated in that announcement:  

"Initial customers include leading international identity management providers in the United Kingdom, the European Union, Japan, Thailand, Brazil, Mexico, and Canada, as well as multiple United States Federal agencies and commercial organizations. Integrated Biometrics has expanded its FIVE-0 production capacity to meet demand."

The mobile data terminal found in patrol cars are already considered a LEO's "mobile office." The FIVE-0 looks to increase the department's efficiency and perhaps provide one more tool law enforcement never thought they'd get ... or needed.