All law enforcement agencies in the U.S. will be able to take advantage of the FBI’s facial recognition database. The FBI has expanded the pilot of its software and later this summer will enable police and other law enforcement agencies to have free access to its system, reports Government Computer News.

By tapping into the FBI’s Universal Face Workstation, agencies can conduct automated facial and photo services. By using the FBI’s resources, they can use advanced technology without having to make a large investment.

The FBI’s pilot began last February in Michigan. Since then, Hawaii and Maryland have also joined the project. Three other states are actively working on Memorandums of Understanding in order to participate, and another five states have shown interest in the program.

The pilot’s software has a database of about 13 million mug shot photos from criminal bookings. The system should be fully operational by summer 2014.

This facial recognition software is part of the FBI’s Next Generation Identification program, which is developing more biometric identification capabilities. Other aspects of this program include a national palm print system, scheduled for spring 2013, and an iris pilot, scheduled for the second half of next year.

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