Biometrics and crime triangle Essay Example

Biometrics and crime triangle Essay Example Biometrics and crime triangle Paper Biometrics and crime triangle Paper Biometric technology is becoming an integral element of law enforcement system. Despite the variety of forms, all biometric solutions are represented within one technological framework which is usually referred to as the means of â€Å"automated identification, or verification of identity through physiological, or behavioral traits† (Coleman, 1999). Biometric systems of suspect identification are actively used in various law enforcement procedures; these technologies have proved their effectiveness and reliability in all crime prevention activities. Biometric technologies and human analytical abilities go hand in hand, and compete to achieve excellent crime prevention results. However, even despite the significant benefits biometric technologies offer to law enforcement professionals, serious ethical issues should be addressed to make biometrics safe in use.   Thesis statement: biometrics has turned into the indispensable technological element of crime prevention, but future effectiveness of biometric solutions will be threatened, if specialists fail to address significant privacy and security gaps that currently exist in the area of biometric technology use. Biometric technology and the need to use biometrics in crime prevention Crime prevention cannot be effective without identification. Identification is the essential element of all crime prevention and law enforcement procedures. Contemporary technological advances, the development of internet-related crimes and terrorist threats require creating and implementing the whole set of new technological solutions. In crime prevention, â€Å"everything else is ultimately secondary to the need to identify† (Nieto, 2002). That is why biometrical systems of crime prevention are constantly improved to guarantee cost-effectiveness and relevance of crime prevention activities. Current network of law enforcement agencies cannot develop an effective infrastructure that would guarantee safe and effective storage of information. The importance of biometric identification is justified by the need to create a relevant, cost-effective and secure data storage system that would not infringe citizen rights but would guarantee speedy and easy identification of suspects. As a result, biometrics is gradually turning into a real industry, with law enforcement serving its target market. Face recognition, iris scan, and fingerprints identification software are the results of the thorough analytical work that are successfully implemented at all stages of crime prevention. As software manufacturers are fighting for their portion of law enforcement market, they are trying to offer more relevant biometric solutions that will meet the challenging requirements of the difficult criminal situation. â€Å"What biometrics offers now and in the future is the possibility of improving the overall ‘clear-up’ rate of crime, therefore increasing the confidence of the public in the system and their overall sense of security in society† (Nieto, 2002). In simpler terms, better biometric technology is the direct pathway towards security, public awareness about the benefits of biometrics in law enforcement, and better citizen acceptance and recognition of various types of identification software. Biometric applications satisfy the widest range of crime prevention needs, starting with face recognition and up to voice recognition and border control. In the contemporary context, face recognition, fingerprints, and iris scan represent the three most widely used types of biometric solutions. â€Å"No two fingerprints are alike. For this reason, law enforcement and the courts recognize fingerprints as unique personal identifiers† (Jain, Bolle, Pankanti, 1998). Human analytical skills are too limited to identify the differences between fingerprints and to convert this information into the instrument of coordinating crime prevention procedures. Fingerprints require special technological approach; the smallest pores and ridges on the human skin should be detected to guarantee the relevance of investigation (and as a result, crime prevention) results. Iris scan and face recognition require similar technological approaches. Thus, the state cannot neglect the importance of biometric technologies in its striving towards minimizing the number of crimes. Biometrics forms excellent combination between human analytical abilities and unbiased technology’s ability to identify, match, and analyze personal biometric information.

Commercial Limestone and Marble Explained

Commercial Limestone and Marble Explained We all encounter limestone buildings and marble statues during our lives. But the scientific and commercial definitions of these two rocks dont match. When geologists enter the stone dealers showroom, and when lay people go out in the field, each has to learn a new set of concepts for these two different names. Limerock Basics Limestone and marble are both limerocks, an old-fashioned industrial term for stone that is roasted to produce lime, or calcium oxide. Lime is a basic ingredient in cement and much else. (For more about lime, see About Cement and Concrete.) Cement makers look at limerock as chemical feedstock of greater or lesser purity and expense. Beyond that, they are indifferent to what geologists or stone dealers call it. The key mineral in limerock is calcite, or calcium carbonate (CaCO3). Any other mineral is undesirable, but a particularly bad one is dolomite (CaMg(CO3)2), which interferes with lime manufacture. In the past, quarriers, builders, craftsmen and manufacturers called limerock used for industrial purposes limestone. Thats how limestone got its name in the first place. Limerock suitable for structural and decorative purposes, like buildings and statuary, was called marble. The word comes from ancient Greek with the root meaning of strong stone. Those historic categories are relevant to todays commercial categories. Commercial Limestone and Marble Dealers in stone use limestone and marble to denote a category of stone that is softer than commercial granite (or basalt or sandstone) but does not split like slate. Commercial marble is more compact than commercial limestone, and it takes a good polish. In commercial use, these definitions arent limited to rocks made of calcite; dolomite rock is just as good. In fact, serpentinite too has minerals softer than granite and is considered a commercial marble under the names serpentine marble, green marble or verd antique. Commercial limestone has more pore space than commercial marble and does not wear as well. This makes it suitable for less demanding applications like walls and columns and patios. It may have some flat layering, but generally it has a plain appearance. It may be honed or polished smooth, but it is limited to a matte or satiny finish. Commercial marble is denser than commercial limestone, and its preferred for floors, doorways and steps. Light penetrates farther into it, giving marble a glowing translucency. It also commonly has attractive swirling patterns of light and dark, although pure white marble is also prized for statues, gravestones and decorative features. To add a bit of confusion, marble used to be called crystalline limestone in previous centuries. Its key feature is the ability to take a high finish. None of these categories mean what they mean to geologists. Geologic Limestone and Marble Geologists are careful to distinguish limestone from dolomite rock, classifying both of these carbonate rocks as sedimentary rocks. But with metamorphism both become marble, a metamorphic rock in which all the original mineral grains have been recrystallized. Limestone is not made of sediment derived from rocks, but instead generally consists of the calcite skeletons of microscopic organisms that lived in shallow seas. In some places its formed of tiny round grains called ooids, formed as calcite precipitates directly from seawater onto a seed particle. The warm seas around the islands of the Bahamas are an example of an area where limestone is forming today. Under gentle conditions underground that are not well understood, magnesium-bearing fluids may alter the calcite in limestone to dolomite. With deeper burial and higher pressure, dolomite rock and limestone both recrystallize into marble, wiping out any fossils or other traces of the original sedimentary environment. Which of these are the real limestone and marble? Im prejudiced in favor of geologists, but builders and carvers and lime makers have many centuries of history on their side. Just be careful about how you use these rock names.