Arizona expands use of ImageWare biometric system

Arizona Public Safety Department officials have awarded a new contract to ImageWare Systems Inc. to expand Arizona's use of the IWS Biometric Engine.

The product is an identity management solution that can work with any sort of biometric hardware or software, according to company officials. It allows users to manage databases of any size and to conduct searches across various types of biometric information.

The Arizona department is using the system to conduct facial recognition searches against criminal databases. Under the new contract, officials will expand that capability to include a database of Arizona of driver's license images, ImageWare officials said.