Citing its ability to enhance criminal prosecutions while reducing investigation time, Bexar County Sheriff Amadeo Ortiz introduced his agency's new Leica Geosystems ScanStation C10 to an audience that included local law enforcement agencies and the District Attorney's office, according to the company.

The Leica ScanStation "greatly enhances the investigation of the crime scene and aids in the prosecution of the offender," according to Sheriff Ortiz. "Countless hours of investigative time will be saved by the automation at the crime scene instead of having to manually sketch the scene."

The Leica Geosystems ScanStation C10 is a portable 3-D laser scanner that can capture 50,000 measurement points per second out to a range of 900 feet. The system also features an internal digital camera for panoramic photography. The technology is used by law enforcement agencies for crime scene investigations, vulnerability and threat assessments, post-blast investigations, police action inquiries, and accident investigations.

San Antonio-based Bexar County Sheriff's Department is the first police agency in Texas to deploy the latest generation Leica ScanStation C10, though other Texas law enforcement agencies have deployed previous generation Leica 3-D laser scanners. A Leica ScanStation was used to document the complex crime scene last November at Fort Hood where a gunman killed 12 and injured 31.

"In addition to CSI, public safety agencies are recognizing that scanning can also be a powerful homeland security tool to aid with the prevention, protection against, response to, and recovery from terrorist acts," said Tony Grissim, Leica's public safety and forensic account manager.