Oakland's Tech Identifies Suspect In Novi Police Assault
PONTIAC -- Oakland County says a portable fingerprint scanner and identification device led to the quick identification of a suspect in a hospital Thursday.
The man was shot trying to run down a Novi police officer in Detroit. He was identified in the hospital by the fingerprint scanner, which is tied into fingerprint and electronic criminal records managed by Oakland County's Courts and Law Enforcement Management Information System.
When police scanned the suspect's thumbprint on CLEMIS Blue Check's electronic screen, police were able to retrieve his name, image, birthdate, and extensive criminal history within 30 seconds.
It identified the suspect as a 37-year-old man whose criminal record includes fraud, breaking and entering, and receiving and concealing stolen property. Police are not releasing the suspect's name prior to arraignment on any charges that may come in this case.
"This was an outstanding use of the technology," said Novi Police Chief and CLEMIS chairman David Molloy. "We were able to identify the suspect while he was being treated."
CLEMIS links about 100 public safety agencies in five counties in southeast Michigan using innovative computer technology and public safety applications.
CLEMIS Blue Check is about the size of a mobile phone. It uses Bluetooth technology to connect with the Mobile Data Computer in a nearby police car. A police officer places the suspect's thumb on the CLEMIS Blue Check screen; it scans the thumbprint electronically; then relays the information to the MDC which is tied into CLEMIS' fingerprint and criminal records database. If it gets a hit, the suspect's information appears on the MDC screen within seconds.
There are approximately 150 CLEMIS Blue Check devices deployed in the field among CLEMIS agencies in southeast Michigan. For more information about CLEMIS, visit www.CLEMIS.org. More about Oakland County online at www.oakgov.com.
