The Nation’s Missing Children Organization (NMCO), National Center for
Missing Adults (a division of NMCO) and
The
Child Project, LLC
have entered into a teaming agreement to create and maintain a new, and
first-of-its-kind, national database designed to identify and locate missing
adults and children through the use of iris recognition technology.
The biometrics project is a nationwide network and registry, utilizing iris scanning cameras that will
be available to law enforcement and social service agencies throughout the
country. Through this network, the project will compare the unique
features contained in the iris against a database of individuals who enroll
throughout the country to determine the identity of an individual.
Complementing fingerprinting I.D. programs now in place, the biometrics project
will capture a digital photograph of the individual’s iris, along with basic
demographic information. Unlike existing fingerprint I.D. programs, the
biometrics project will create a national registry, securely maintained by NMCO,
to give parents, law enforcement, and other authorized users of the system,
access to data that can positively identify missing persons in seconds.
President and CEO of the Nation’s Missing Children
Organization (NMCO) said, “This unique and innovative program will fill an
important gap in our nation’s ability to quickly, and positively, identify
missing children and adults. It will complement the excellent work already
done by thousands of organizations and concerned citizens across the country
by creating a secure, national database of the most accurate biometric known
today.”
Pasqualini noted that millions of fingerprint ID cards have already been
created for children and their parents or guardians. “However,” she said,
“That’s only part of the solution to this serious problem. Those cards are
an excellent source of information for law enforcement and organizations
like NMCO to help find missing children. Unfortunately, there is no database
currently available to quickly verify the true identity of a missing child
or adult. This program fills that critical gap.”
Children go missing everyday. A large portion of those missing are
runaways who may in fact come in contact with a law enforcement agency
during their travels and attempt to provide false information in an effort
to hide their identities. Iris Recognition Technology has the potential of
quickly confirming an individual’s identity providing the opportunity for
intervention if they have been enrolled in the program. For more information
regarding missing children please visit the National Center for Missing &
Exploited Children.
There are approximately 46,000 adults missing as of March 31, 2004. Of
those missing, 17,439 are considered “at risk” or endangered missing; 6,309
are determined missing involuntarily; 7,691 are missing with disabilities;
1,046 are Catastrophe victims and 1,866 are placed into the “Other”
category.
Individuals are reported missing due to various circumstances;
psychiatric disability, diminished mental capacity (mentally challenged), a
physical disability, a need for medication, issues with substance abuse,
domestic violence, financial woes or other factors that can contribute to
their disappearance that are not always clear.
According to the National Institute of Mental Health an estimated 22.1
percent of Americans ages 18 and older - 1 in 5 adults – suffer from a
diagnosable mental disorder in a given year. This figure translates to 44.3
million people.
According to national statistics released by the Alzheimer’s Association
an estimated 4.5 million Americans have Alzheimer’s disease, that number
doubling since 1980. By 2050 the number of individuals with Alzheimer’s
disease could range from 11.3 million to 16 million. According to these
statistics, many of us will have the responsibility of caring for and
protecting a family member who is suffering from Alzheimer’s disease.
Regardless of the circumstance of a person’s disappearance every effort
must be made to locate and confirm identity in order to provide intervention
services and determine populations that may be more at risk.
Iris recognition biometric technology positively determines the identity
of an individual by capturing a high resolution digital photograph of the
individual's iris. The technology is based on the most mathematically unique
biometric -- even between twins or an individual's right and left eyes --
the iris of the eye. The technology is non-intrusive - the individual does
not need to touch anything to use the system. Unlike other biometric
technologies, there are no lasers, strong lights or any kind of harmful
beams. By simply looking into the camera, an image of the iris is captured
and placed in the national database. The iris recognition equipment is
portable and simple to use, making it ideal for use at remote locations such
as fairs and special events.
“Iris recognition technology will enhance the identification methods
already in place by providing a quick and easy method of correctly
identifying an individual. Photographs work well up to a certain point,”
said Mr. Mullin. “Physical appearance changes, however, from birth the iris
never changes.”
Rollout of the application is expected to begin in the spring. During the
rollout phase the project partners will be contacting social service
and public safety agencies, such as county sheriffs and police departments,
to gauge their interest in participating in the program. The project
will offer concerned agencies and organizations a low cost iris recognition
system to use as part of their community outreach programs. The system will
enable authorized users access to NMCO’s database to both enroll individuals
in the program and check them against the nationwide database. Participation
is entirely voluntary, just as it is now with fingerprint and photo ID card
programs.
For additional information about project, or to learn more
about iris recognition, visit
The
Child Project, LLC online.
