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"In 2004, a bomb was detonated in a section of Baghdad," Matt Eisele said. "When the U.S. patrol got there, they detained a suspect, later to release him because people came to the suspect's defense. His personal information was taken and put into a computer."
Eisele, an instructor for the Biometrics class at Camp Buehring, Kuwait, went on to say that six months later, at another bombing, another patrol encountered the same suspect. This time, however, there would be no release as the suspect was arrested because fingerprints taken at the scene of the crime were matched to the prints at the bombing six months prior.
"Thanks to Biometrics, this man is no longer wreaking havoc on our patrols and the people of Iraq," Eisele said.
Biometrics is the process of identifying a person based on features on that person's body. Soldiers familiarize themselves with the Biometrics equipment they will use on missions in Iraq. Eisele said features include iris scans, fingerprints and facial recognition.
"This is done so we can have positive identification of our enemy and also so we can identify who we can have access with," he said.
Biometrics is a big tool that is being used today in the Global War on Terror, said Sgt. Axel Perez, B Company, 3rd Battalion, 7th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division. Using Biometrics will help speed up indentifying a possible suspect as a terrorist whether he is on a watch list or not. It will also help cut down on time and paperwork, Perez said.
"If that person's already been detained and gotten a pass, this machine will help us catch them, prosecute them and put them away," Perez said.
Biometrics systems have been in use since the war started. The Marines began using it in early 2004 while some special operations groups were using it as early as 2001. Eisele said using the system is not a new method of identification on the battlefield but Biometrics gives those who use it an edge.
Command Sgt. Maj. Christopher Gilpin, 3rd Bn., 7th Inf. Regt. command sergeant major, said the class gave his Soldiers the chance to interact with new equipment – equipment they will use while they serve in Iraq. Gilpin, a veteran from the initial invasion in 2003, said he wished this technology was available when they first entered Iraq.
"I remember in OIF I and III, the problems of identifying people were evident," Gilpin said.
"Being able to put it on paper and send something forward is so inefficient. You have a system here that you can immediately identify, or at least, put in the database, those you suspect. That is a great asset."
Eisele acknowledged there have been successes attributed to the biometrics devices.
"It demonstrates how we can identify people based on a fingerprint they leave on an initiation device, an improvised explosive device," Eisele said. "There are hundreds of success stories that have been linked to this system."
| Date Taken: | 01.13.2008 |
| Date Posted: | 01.13.2008 06:48 |
| Story ID: | 15400 |
| Location: | KW |
| Web Views: | 210 |
| Downloads: | 195 |
This work, Helping to keep an eye on things, by SGT Wesley Landrum, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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