Iris ID has reported a growing adoption of its iris recognition technologies among the US’s top local, state and federal law enforcement agencies, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), which implemented the company’s Next Generation Identification (NGI) Iris Service.

According to Iris ID, utilizing advanced iris technology allows law enforcement and corrections officials to capture, catalog and rapidly compare iris images across a massive database to identify enrolled individuals with up to 99% accuracy.

“The growth of iris recognition technology can be largely contributed to its accuracy, speed, cost efficiency and touchless nature,” said Tim Meyerhoff, Director at Iris ID.

“As we continue to develop new iris recognition solutions, we expect to see deployments expand for a myriad of new applications that further reduce costs, improve operational efficiencies and enhance security and health safety for law enforcement agencies and corrections facilities.”

The company says that the NGI Iris Service and associated Iris ID solutions help to mitigate the risk of mistaken identity by using iris recognition technology to positively identify prison inmates at booking and upon release. This kind of process automation not only reduces booking time, it potentially eliminates the need for the time and resource consuming process of 10-fingerprint enrollments.

Local law enforcement agencies similarly utilize Iris ID solutions to reduce their administrative burden. These agencies effectively submit a person’s biometric data to verify identity against state and federal databases to quickly access an individual’s complete criminal history. Using the iris identification data provided either in the field or during intake, law enforcement officials can view linked records including mugshots, RAP sheets and other NCIC data.

New developments in iris technology have also enabled mobile capabilities, ideal for screening immigrants at the border.

“We are pleased to see our iris recognition technology gaining traction among some of the biggest names in law enforcement, including the FBI, US Customs and Border Protection and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department,” said Meyerhoff. “This celebrated growth is a testimony to the status of iris recognition as a trusted, reliable means of identification for law enforcement agencies of all sizes.”

Since its inception in 2020, the NGI Iris Service has accumulated more than 2.7 million sets of iris images, with roughly 100,000 new identities being added every month. A further 9 million iris records are stored in the US Border Protection Agency’s and the US Department of Homeland Security’s IDENT database, where up to 100,000 iris records are collected per month to help identify those illegally crossing the border.