06-27-2010, 01:36 PM
http://www.aolnews.com/crime/article/new...s/19531553
(June 25) -- Borrowing a page from a Hollywood sci-fi flick, a jail in New Jersey has been using an Israeli technology to screen detainees to determine whether they intend to commit hostile acts.
The computerized system, called Cogito, "emulates the work of an interrogation expert and can accurately expose hostile intents and hidden information in as little as five minutes," Bergen County Sheriff Leo McGuire wrote in a recent issue of Sheriff magazine.
Developed by Israeli-based Suspect Detection Systems, Cogito uses sensors to measure a subject's psycho-physiological responses, similar to a polygraph. But unlike a polygraph, which is used to spot lies about past events, the Cogito system is said to detect the intent to commit hostile acts in the future.
Cogito was used to screen detainees at the Bergen County Jail as part of a pilot study, according to McGuire. "In Bergen County, we have seen promising results when administering the Cogito system as part of our traditional intake procedures," McGuire wrote in the magazine.
According to McGuire, jail officials used Cogito to screen individuals entering detention by having them place a palm in a sensor and then answering a series of questions. The sensor measures the person's response, and then the computer determines whether the person is planning to commit a crime.
The company that produced Cogito said Thursday the formal results of that pilot study will be presented at the National Sheriffs' Association Conference, which starts today in Anaheim, Calif.
"The successful pilot in Bergen County is the first with a county sheriff's office in the United States," Gil Boosidan, CEO of Suspect Detection Systems, said in a company statement Thursday. "We are extremely pleased with the results and hope they serve as a positive example of our technology's capabilities and its application in the large U.S. law enforcement and homeland security markets."
Yet Cogito isn't the only technology that uses polygraph-like sensors to detect hostile intent. The Department of Homeland Security is spending $10 million annually on a program called Future Attribute Screening Technology, or FAST, which uses a variety of sensors to help spot people planning criminal acts.
Such technology has often been compared to the idea of "pre-crime," a concept popularized in the Steven Spielberg movie "Minority Report," which depicted police using a program that arrested people before they could commit a criminal act.
But such "hostile intent" detection methods -- whether using technology or trained personnel -- have proved controversial. A recent Government Accountability Office report criticized the Transportation Security Administration's use of "behavior detection officers," who are trained to spot potential terrorists, and claimed there was no proof the officers had ever caught a terrorist.
Similarly, a number of scientists have claimed there is no known science to support the ability to detect hostile intent.
Regardless of the criticism, the technology has proved popular with those involved in homeland security. Cogito has been used by the TSA at a trial conducted at the Knoxville, Tenn., airport, according to The Wall Street Journal, and Suspect Detection Systems reported last year that it had received a contract to deploy Cogito at a U.S. border crossing.
Messages left with the Bergen County Sheriff's Office and with Suspect Detection Systems today were not returned.
(June 25) -- Borrowing a page from a Hollywood sci-fi flick, a jail in New Jersey has been using an Israeli technology to screen detainees to determine whether they intend to commit hostile acts.
The computerized system, called Cogito, "emulates the work of an interrogation expert and can accurately expose hostile intents and hidden information in as little as five minutes," Bergen County Sheriff Leo McGuire wrote in a recent issue of Sheriff magazine.
Developed by Israeli-based Suspect Detection Systems, Cogito uses sensors to measure a subject's psycho-physiological responses, similar to a polygraph. But unlike a polygraph, which is used to spot lies about past events, the Cogito system is said to detect the intent to commit hostile acts in the future.
Cogito was used to screen detainees at the Bergen County Jail as part of a pilot study, according to McGuire. "In Bergen County, we have seen promising results when administering the Cogito system as part of our traditional intake procedures," McGuire wrote in the magazine.
According to McGuire, jail officials used Cogito to screen individuals entering detention by having them place a palm in a sensor and then answering a series of questions. The sensor measures the person's response, and then the computer determines whether the person is planning to commit a crime.
The company that produced Cogito said Thursday the formal results of that pilot study will be presented at the National Sheriffs' Association Conference, which starts today in Anaheim, Calif.
"The successful pilot in Bergen County is the first with a county sheriff's office in the United States," Gil Boosidan, CEO of Suspect Detection Systems, said in a company statement Thursday. "We are extremely pleased with the results and hope they serve as a positive example of our technology's capabilities and its application in the large U.S. law enforcement and homeland security markets."
Yet Cogito isn't the only technology that uses polygraph-like sensors to detect hostile intent. The Department of Homeland Security is spending $10 million annually on a program called Future Attribute Screening Technology, or FAST, which uses a variety of sensors to help spot people planning criminal acts.
Such technology has often been compared to the idea of "pre-crime," a concept popularized in the Steven Spielberg movie "Minority Report," which depicted police using a program that arrested people before they could commit a criminal act.
But such "hostile intent" detection methods -- whether using technology or trained personnel -- have proved controversial. A recent Government Accountability Office report criticized the Transportation Security Administration's use of "behavior detection officers," who are trained to spot potential terrorists, and claimed there was no proof the officers had ever caught a terrorist.
Similarly, a number of scientists have claimed there is no known science to support the ability to detect hostile intent.
Regardless of the criticism, the technology has proved popular with those involved in homeland security. Cogito has been used by the TSA at a trial conducted at the Knoxville, Tenn., airport, according to The Wall Street Journal, and Suspect Detection Systems reported last year that it had received a contract to deploy Cogito at a U.S. border crossing.
Messages left with the Bergen County Sheriff's Office and with Suspect Detection Systems today were not returned.