SPARTANBURG, S.C., April 18, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Roughly 80% of criminal offenses in the United States involve substance abuse. Recidivism rates, as well as burdens on taxpayers, dramatically drop when individuals break their addictions. In response, probation and parole programs across the nation have increased drug and alcohol testing, despite widespread staffing and budgetary challenges.
Probation and parole officers build counselor-style relationships with their ‘clients.’ The need to open each meeting with a breath test wastes time and undermines the trust and open communication essential to rehabilitation.
Breathalytics’ newly launched breathalyzer kiosk solves this challenge by automating the alcohol screening process. The key innovation in this solution is its ability to identify users quickly and reliably, which prevents cheating and frees officers for other essential duties.
Breathalytics kiosks use Integrated Biometrics’ Watson Mini two-finger scanner to verify identity for each parolee. Watson Mini’s light-emitting sensor (LES) technology is small, lightweight, and uses very little power, making it an ideal component for the overall Breathalytics solution.
“We needed a compact biometric sensor that’s extremely rugged and doesn’t need regular maintenance,” said David Kreitzer, CEO of Breathalytics. “Watson Mini is a perfect fit. It provides the identity verification input we needed to bring this product to market, as well as the reliability that our automated approach to sobriety testing requires.”
Watson Mini meets law enforcement requirements for FBI Appendix F certified scans. The scanner is ideal for unattended applications due to its low maintenance and its ability to capture fingerprints across all age groups and finger conditions.
The Breathalytics kiosk supplements biometric fingerprint scanning with facial recognition for an additional layer of identity verification. A second camera records the entire testing process so that officers have verified proof that the person tested is the person validated by the system. Once identified, parolees prove their sobriety by breathing into the system through a disposable straw. The entire process takes roughly 30 seconds.
The modular nature of Breathalytics’ solution also enables remote testing, so that parolees remain in compliance with their terms of release while working or visiting outside their court-mandated range. Similar markets for these testing kiosks include airlines, trucking firms, or any other industry that requires proof of sobriety.
“Breathalytics’ fresh approach to sobriety testing is a smart, unexpected identity management solution,” added Stephen Thies, Chief Executive Officer of Integrated Biometrics. “It’s another example of how the creative application of biometric hardware and advanced software delivers new ways to save time and money and improve lives for almost any market.”
For more information on Integrated Biometrics or the company’s comprehensive line of rugged, low-power, compact EL optical fingerprint scanners, visit www.integratedbiometrics.com, email sales@integratedbiometrics.com or call +1-864-990-3711. Contact Breathalytics at www.breathalytics.co, email contact@breathalytics.co or call 651-340-6592.
About Integrated Biometrics
Integrated Biometrics, LLC designs and manufactures FBI-certified fingerprint sensors for law enforcement, military, homeland security, national identity, election validation, social services, and a wide range of commercial applications. The company’s patented light-emitting sensor (LES) technology enables lightweight scanners that outperform traditional prism-based devices in size, power consumption, portability, and reliability. Identity management solutions providers, government agencies, and corporations around the world rely on Integrated Biometrics’ products to enroll and verify individual identity quickly and accurately, even in remote locations.
About Breathalytics
Breathalytics is an employee-owned company with a philanthropic mission. Founded with the goal of helping reduce recidivism and alcohol abuse, we strive to bridge the gap that separates the supply and demand for alcohol screening. Without the same budgetary constraints, our correctional clients will be able to test participants at optimal frequencies for successful rehabilitation.
By helping individuals break free from alcohol abuse, we also hope to curtail the enormous impact of the symptoms of this problem. From drunk driving to domestic violence, broken homes, and loss of jobs, these issues all stem from the same root. Our efforts add to the incredible work performed by thousands of correctional agents, advocacy organizations, treatment centers, and support groups around the nation. Working together, even this seemingly insurmountable obstacle can be overcome.
Media Contact:
David Wright
Integrated Biometrics
+1-408-363-2843
david.wright@integratedbiometrics.com
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://resource.globenewswire.com/Resource/Download/3b06aa75-90aa-4ba0-87e9-d0951aeb9dcd