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Above and Beyond
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Police & Security News
1208 Juniper
Street 18951-1520
Phone: 215.538.1240 Fax: 215.538.1208 |
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AUTO SEARCH Mug Shot for Cars By Bill Siuru It happens all too often: A vehicle is involved in a crime or a hit-and-run accident. One eyewitness says it was a silver Camaro, another “saw” a tan Mustang, and a third describes a gray Honda. Today’s look-alike, generic car models make more positive identification difficult. Richard Schmelig, a retired McDonnell Corp. engineer in Chesterfield, MO, has developed a solution, which he calls Auto Search. He was assisted by the officers and staff of the Chesterfield Police Department. Using the Auto Search software, law enforcement officials can query a database which includes over 8000 images of more than 5000 vehicles in 36 products lines which are made by 16 different companies. The program’s CD-ROM, which includes cars built as early as 1980, can be interactively searched by 1) year, make, model, span of years, and size of vehicle; 2) type of vehicle; 3) rear license plate configuration; and 4) tail-light configuration. There is an infinite number of color patch selections and text output. Once suspect vehicles are identified, images, text and color patches can be printed and mailed to the news media, other police agencies or witnesses, or E-mailed directly to patrol cars. Automobile manufacturers who supplied photos for the project include Daewoo, DaimlerChrysler, Ford/Mazda, General Motors, Honda/Acura, Hyundai, Isuzu, Kia, Mitsubishi, Nissan/Infiniti, Saab, Subaru, Suzuki, Toyota/Lexus, Volkswagen/Audi and Volvo. The only major companies which did not agree to be on the CD-ROM were Mercedes-Benz and BMW. Fortunately, both are distinctive enough for relatively easy identification. The Auto Search CD-ROM, which is also useful for identifying stolen vehicles, is quite affordable; for example, a single seat workstation can be set up for under $500 or eleven seat workstations for under $1000. Annual updates will be priced at $175 plus $75 per additional seat. The software includes 2002 models and is being sold only to law enforcement agencies.
Prototypes of Auto Search
have already been successfully used to identify a Chevrolet Beretta involved in
a hit-and-run accident involving a seven-year-old boy riding his bicycle. It
was also used by a child to identify a Chevrolet Cavalier used by a man who
attempted to abduct several fifth grade students. While the culprit was not
found, the incidents stopped when the information was put out by the media.
Auto Search, Inc.
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