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The Use of Biometrics in Forensic Science

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1. Biometric Applications

In recent years there have been heightened concerns about security due to the advancements of networking, communications, and mobility. This has led to the increase in biometrics in different applications for authentication and identification. The applications can be divided into 3 main groups Forensics, Government and Commercial (Jain, Flynn & Ross, 2008).

1.1 Forensics

The use of biometrics in forensics has been used for a long time. Usage of fingerprints as an identifier has been used to link suspected criminals to the crime scene by collecting fingerprints then comparing it. Nowadays as computer technology has become more available. Large Automated Fingerprint Identification Systems (AFIS) are used to match unknown fingerprints against a database. Today AFIS is used in every law enforcement agencies worldwide. It is important to note that the AFIS may not give the exact result of the candidate but a short list of potential suspects. A forensic specialist would then be required to examine the prints. Biometric data can also be used for victim identification based off characteristics of the human remains. This can be achieved by physical evidence. This includes soft biometrics such as height, gender, color of skin etc. Specific characteristics such as scars, tattoos, moles, can also be useful if matched with the ante mortem. Genetic identification can also be used to compare DNA with the victims suspected family’s DNA. This could be

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