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Forensic Technology: Algorithms Used in Federal Law Enforcement

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Report Type Reports and Testimonies
Report Date May 12, 2020
Release Date May 12, 2020
Report No. GAO-20-479SP
Summary:

Law enforcement has long used physical evidence, such as fingerprints, to help solve crimes. Now, computer algorithms can help assess whether such evidence might be associated with a specific person—a process known as forensic attribution.

Federal agencies mainly use 3 types of forensic algorithms:

Face recognition compares a photo from a criminal investigation to an existing photo database

Probabilistic genotyping helps determine the likelihood that a person’s DNA may have contributed to DNA collected as evidence

Latent print analysis compares prints to a known database and provides a list of potential candidates for an expert to review

Crime scene

Crime scene

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