Focusing On Safety
In Berks County, Pa., children are being photographed for a database that can be used to identify missing children by their iris scans. The CHILD Project, or Children’s Identification and Location Database, collects digital photographs of children’s eyes and places them into a national database that can be accessed over the Web. The project will be set up in over 17,000 sheriff’s offices in 46 states, and databases are already running in 15 states, according to the National Missing Children Organization and the National Center for Missing Adults, which are collaborating on the project. The Berks County sheriff’s office received $25,000 in grant money from the U.S. Department of Justice to purchase the camera, computer, software, and other devices needed for its database. Experts also noted that wearing contact lenses does not affect the iris scanner’s ability to capture the unique characteristics of each child’s eye.
Abstracted by the National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center(NLECTC) from the Reading Eagle (PA) (05/11/06); Herman, Holly .
