This article describes how biometric technologies (technologies that measure distinctive physical features for personal identification) were demonstrated in a mock prison riot held in May 2006 at a closed penitentiary facility in Moundsville, WV.
The demonstrated technologies measured the distinctive physical features of fingerprints and the Iris of the eye in order to identify a person. The fingerprint system demonstrated during the mock prison riot was the portable Cross Match MV 100 Fingerprint Workstation, which uses a fingerprint scanner, an integrated personal digital assistant, and a digital camera all-in-one self-contained portable unit that connects wirelessly to the stationary enrollment machine. The enrollment machine contains the database of enrolled fingerprints, along with photographs and descriptive information. For the mock prison riot, this device was used to identify inmates involved in taking corrections officers hostage aboard a prison bus. In another simulation, Iris identification technology was used to identify inmates who took control of an office area within the prison infirmary. Iris biometric technology measures the unique patterns and textures of the human Iris. Also unveiled during the simulated inmate riots was a new multi-modal biometric device called HIIDE (Hand-held Interagency Identity Detection Equipment). Users of this device can enroll, match, or verify identity with three biometrics: Iris, finger, and face.