POLICE Logo
MenuMENU
SearchSEARCH

San Diego Area Officers Using Facial Scans in the Field

Twenty-five local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies – including U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Border Patrol, the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department, and San Diego State University – participate in the system.

November 11, 2013

California law requires people detained by an officer to identify themselves truthfully, but they don’t always do so. The new facial scan technology being tested in the San Diego area technology may take the matter out of their hands, the San Diego Union Tribune reports.

Police in the San Diego County city of Chula Vista recently arrested a young woman, still in her pajamas, for possession of narcotics. Before taking her away, Officer Rob Halverson paused in the front yard, held a Samsung Galaxy tablet up to the woman’s face, and snapped a photo, the Union Tribune says.

Ad Loading...

Halverson fiddled with the tablet with his index finger a few times, and – without needing to ask the woman’s name or check her identification – her mug shot from a previous arrest, address, criminal history, and other personal information appeared on the screen.

Twenty-five local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies – including U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Border Patrol, the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department, and San Diego State University – participate in the system with Chula Vista.

The Tactical Identification System, coordinated by the San Diego Association of Governments, matches images taken by officers in the field with databases of about 348,000 San Diego County arrestees. The system itself has nearly 1.4 million booking photos because many people have multiple mug shots on record. Officers have been using the system for about six months.

Ad Loading...

More Investigations

patrolfinder - reducing crime thumbnail
SponsoredOctober 27, 2025

How One Police Department Cut Crime by 46% with Smarter Patrol Management

Discover how one police department cut crime nearly in half using smarter patrol data. This whitepaper breaks down the real-world strategy behind a 46% drop in vehicle thefts, improved officer safety, and stronger community visibility.

Read More →
Police graphic showing surveillance photos of suspect arrest in shooting case
Patrolby Wayne ParhamSeptember 12, 2025

Suspect Arrested in Charlie Kirk Assassination

Authorities arrested a 22-year-old Utah man for the killing of Charlie Kirk just 33 hours after the assassination in what FBI Director Kash Patel called a historic time period. “This is what happens when you let good cops be cops,” Patel said.

Read More →
Three surveillance photos of a person wearing dark clothing and cap in different settings
Patrolby Wayne ParhamSeptember 12, 2025

More Than 7,000 Tips Provided to Kirk Assassination Investigation

More than 7,000 tips were provided to the investigation by the day after the assassination of Charlie Kirk on a Utah college campus on Wednesday. The FBI has not received that much help from the public since the Boston Marathon bombings.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
Law enforcement officers near chain-link fence with red truck in residential neighborhood
Patrolby Wayne ParhamSeptember 8, 2025

Idaho AG Will Not Pursue Charges Against 4 Officers Who Fatally Shot Nonverbal Autistic Teen Armed with a Knife

The Idaho Office of the Attorney General has concluded its investigation into the fatal officer-involved shooting that killed a 17-year-old teen who was armed with a knife. Officers did not know the teen suffered from developmental delays, autism, and other conditions.

Read More →
Police officer working with dog on concrete construction site
Investigationsby Heidi SieversAugust 22, 2025

The Role of Forensics in Disaster Victim Identification

Heidi Sievers, of Columbia Southern University, explains disaster victim identification and how scientific work bridges critical gaps when visual recognition, one of the least reliable methods of identification, is rendered impossible by the conditions of the disaster.

Read More →
Smiling professional woman in beige blazer standing in front of American flag
InvestigationsJuly 22, 2025

Crimes Against Children Detective Named June 2025 Officer of the Month by NLEOMF

The case began in March and culminated with multiple search warrants and arrests on June 10, 2025. This case ran between Virginia and New York with multiple victims throughout the United States.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
U.S. Customs and Border Protection entrance with official agency doors and welcome mat
PatrolJuly 8, 2025

2 Officers Injured in Attack at Texas Border Patrol Station

A McAllen Police officer was shot in the leg during the attack. A Border Patrol officer and a non-sworn employee were injured, according to a Department of Homeland Security.

Read More →
InvestigationsMay 30, 2025

Multi-State Law Enforcement Operation Rescues 70 Human Trafficking Victims

The operation involved the execution of 25 search warrants and disrupted business at 26 “illicit massage businesses,” the Human Trafficking Training Center reports.

Read More →
PatrolMay 30, 2025

2 Ohio Officers Shot During Traffic Stop, Suspect at Large

According to the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, the suspect has been charged with one count of attempted murder and two counts of felonious assault.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
InvestigationsMay 9, 2025

DOJ Rescues 115 Sexually Exploited Children, Arrests 205 Offenders

“The Department of Justice will never stop fighting to protect victims — especially child victims — and we will not rest until we hunt down, arrest, and prosecute every child predator...,” Attorney General Pamela Bondi.

Read More →