NEC in partnership with the International Biometrics Association (IBA), was proud to bring together leaders in identification management and law enforcement at the 36th Annual International Biometrics Association (IBA) Conference. The conference is a must-attend event to experience the latest advancements in multi-modal biometrics, AI-powered solutions, facial recognition technology and legislation, as well as the updates to trends within the public safety community.
The conference theme, “The Untouchables: Biometrics of the Future,” gave a nod to the law enforcement agents known as “The Untouchables” who made their mark in Chicago by ending Al Capone’s legacy. NEC and IBA gave kudos to the Chicago Police Department, our host police department, for helping to make the conference enlightening and exciting!
Throughout the conference, there were motivational keynotes and interactive panel discussions, an evening cruise through the Windy City, followed by a celebratory Awards Banquet. Intriguing demos featured the newest technologies, such as NEC’s Integrated Biometric Workstation (IBW), along with latent and tenprint training provided by Innovated Solutions (I3) and Forensic Solutions.
Diverse and Inspirational Speakers
The opening keynote was presented by William J. Bratton, Executive Chairman, Teneo Risk / Former Police Commissioner NYPD and LAPD Police Chief. During his almost 50-year career in law enforcement, Bratton instituted progressive change and dramatic drops in crime while leading six police departments.
He inspired us with his presentation on “Policing and Technology in America,” spotlighting where we’ve been, where we are, and where we’re going in law enforcement, emphasizing the ways technology helps solve crimes faster and more efficiently.
Eugene le Roux, NEC Vice President of Digital Government, and Gary Lac, NEC Vice President of Solutions Development, provided in-depth overviews of NEC’s digital government strategy and cloud-driven product roadmap—now and into the future.
A session called “Delivering Tomorrows…Today,” was moderated by Neal Byrd, Vice President of Sales of NEC National Security Systems with participation from Dr. Kathleen Kiernan, President of NEC National Security Systems, and Dr. Chris White, President of NEC Laboratories of America. The talk highlighted compelling use cases and the benefits of AI technology to solve crimes and prevent human trafficking.
Public safety innovators Microsoft and Vantiq shared a futuristic outlook of how Cloud and AI technologies are enabling law enforcement agencies to communicate more quickly and evaluate situational awareness in real-time to identify threats and public safety concerns more swiftly.
Several other speakers participated in the agenda, including members from the FBI, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Bipartisan Policy Center, Big City Emergency Management, Arizona Department of Public Safety, Arizona Department of Transportation, and the Los Angeles Sherriff’s Department who all spoke on a variety of topics.
NEC team members led legislation and panel discussions, as well as hands-on product workshops, certification training, and professional development sessions on:
- Rapid DNA
- CJISSECPOL Compliance
- Mobile Identification Solutions
- OSAC / FISWIG Updates
- MBIS Cloud Deployments
- Tattoo and Iris Matching
Winning with Advanced Biometric Solutions
The awards banquet recognized agencies that used NEC’s multi-modal solutions to solve their cases. Congratulations to this year’s winners:
- Facial Recognition: Arizona Department of Transportation, Detective Earl Fisher
- Latent/Palm/Fingerprint: Merced County Sheriff’s Office, Jessica Santiago
Solutions Spotlight
Attendees got product sneak peeks and experienced demos of NEC’s biometric and AI technologies for state and local agencies, including:
- NEC SmartScan™, a livescan solution equipped for today’s public safety challenges.
- NeoFace® Reveal, a forensic face recognition solution for investigation and identification.
- Integra-ID®, an Automated Biometric Identity Service (ABIS) contains a comprehensive range of tools for editing, selection, image enhancement, comparison and verification. The cloud-enabled, multi-service architecture supports multiple biometric modalities, such as fingerprints, palm prints, faces, irises and tattoos.
Take a moment to watch the video recap and check out the picture gallery from the conference.
As risks to public safety and violent crimes continue to make news headlines, the role of law enforcement and advancements in AI, biometric, and digital identity solutions remain at the forefront of priorities.
We look forward to the 2024 IBA Conference as we continue to create innovations to support law enforcement and public safety.