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Douglas County Sheriff Timothy Dunning Announces First Award in the State by the National Sheriffs’ Association’s Federally Funded Program to Implement Innovative Biometric Technology System to Protect Children and Seniors and Better Identify, Register and Track Inmates and Convicted Sex Offenders

(Omaha, NE) – Douglas County Sheriff Timothy Dunning announced the first award in the state of the federally funded iris biometric grant from the National Sheriffs’ Association (NSA). The grant was made possible by the financial support of the Department of Justice’s Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) program. The grant will enable his office to join Sheriffs and law enforcement agencies across the nation who have implemented The Child Project, Senior Safety Net, I.R.I.S and SORIS. The system enables law enforcement agencies to enroll, identify and locate missing children and adults through the use of iris recognition biometric technology. The system will also enable the Douglas County Sheriff's Office to better identify, register and track inmates and convicted sex offenders.

At a press conference held at the Douglas County Sheriff's Office, 3601 N 156th Street, Omaha, Nebraska at 10:30 a.m. on Thursday, May 6, 2010, Douglas County Sheriff Timothy Dunning announced the grant award and demonstrated the system.

Sheriff Dunning said, “I am honored and pleased to announce this grant award and the implementation and availability of this innovative technology for the citizens of Douglas County and the State of Nebraska. I am particularly pleased that the Douglas County Sheriff's Office has been chosen by the National Sheriffs’ Association to be the first recipient in Nebraska of this innovative technology grant.

Sheriff Dunning continued, “As sworn law enforcement officers, we do everything we can each day to protect the citizens of our communities – particularly those most vulnerable like our children and seniors. We constantly strive to embrace new and proven techniques and technologies to improve public safety. Iris biometric technology and The Child Project are excellent examples of this innovation. With this grant we will be able to expand our capabilities at no cost to the taxpayers of Douglas County.”

Sean Mullin, President and CEO of BI2 Technologies and a co-founder of The Child Project said, “We are honored that Sheriff Dunning has taken such a leadership role in this national effort. This federally funded grant is a direct result of the hard work and commitment of Sheriff Aaron Kennard and the National Sheriffs’ Association. In recognition of the outstanding job Sheriff Dunning and all the professionals of the Douglas County Sheriff's Office do each day, I am truly honored to be part of the first grant award for the state of Nebraska.”

Mr. Mullin continued, “The Child Project and related iris biometric systems the Douglas County Sheriff's Office is receiving today is part of a secure nationwide network and registry that enables law enforcement and social service agencies to enroll, locate and positively identify missing children and adults with iris biometric recognition technology. Through this network, The Child Project™ compares the unique features contained in the iris against a database of individuals who voluntarily enroll throughout the country to determine identity. Participation is entirely voluntary, just as it is now with fingerprint and photo ID card programs.”

Iris recognition biometric technology positively determines the identity of an individual by capturing a high-resolution digital photograph of an individual’s iris. The technology can tell the difference between twins or even an individual’s right and left eye. The technology is non-intrusive. Simply looking into the camera captures an image of the iris. Biometric Intelligence & Identification Technologies (BI² Technologies) of Plymouth, Massachusetts developed the technology. For more information please visit BI2 Technologies web site at www.bi2technologies.com.