An eye on identity: New iris-scanning device to help keep track of county sex offenders

Jason Auslander | The New Mexican

11/6/2007 -

Sex offenders in Santa Fe County will not only have to register their names, addresses and fingerprints with the sheriff's office, they'll also have to submit to a new form of identification: a scan of their irises.

Santa Fe County will be the only jurisdiction in New Mexico to have the SORIS system, part of a pilot program to create a national database, Sheriff Greg Solano said Tuesday.

The equipment involved with SORIS — which stands for Sex Offender Registration and Identification System — is being donated by the company that designed it, BI2 Technologies, Solano said. The equipment is valued at $10,000, he said.

"It's similar to the fingerprinting, which we do now for sex offenders," the sheriff said.

Those convicted of sex-related crimes often are required to register with local sheriff's offices, which are charged by state laws with keeping tabs on them. In New Mexico, the combined results of the registration are displayed in a Department of Public Safety Web site (nmsexoffender. dps.state.nm.us). Names on that site include individuals convicted of certain sex-related crimes after July 1, 1995.

Solano said he and Undersheriff Robert Garcia were at a sheriff's conference a few months ago in Reno, Nev., where the SORIS technology was displayed. Solano said he filled out a form saying he was interested in participating, and his department later was chosen.

The so-called "iris recognition biometric technology" has already been in use at sheriff's departments in 26 other states, though New Mexico is one of four states to receive the newest model, Solano said. Iris recognition is supposed to be more accurate than fingerprints, he said.

The company eventually wants a to create a national database so sex offenders can be tracked from state to state, Solano said. Even if they use a false name, the iris recognition technology will ensure they can be accurately identified, he said.

In a news release, Solano said for every convicted sex offender in jail or prison, nearly three others are on probation or parole. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children reports one-fifth of the approximately 500,000 sex offenders who are supposed to be registered are missing from the rolls, according to the release.

Currently there are 99 registered sex offenders in Santa Fe County and two others the department is trying to locate, the release says.

Contact Jason Auslander at 986-3076 or :jauslander@sfnewmexican.com.