The focus of this lecture is to update participants regarding the on-going developments in the Facial Identification (FI) Discipline, the creation and deployments of standards applicable to practitioners, emerging legislation and policy that will improve the discipline, impact of proficiency testing and the status of proposed certification programs. The presentation will cover, at a high-level:
• Continued development of Facial Identification standards
• An update on federal, state and municipal legislation that will impact Facial Identification
• Changes and improvements to training programs
• A summary of recent GAO and NAS reports concerning the use of Facial Recognition by law enforcement and federal agencies
• The recent changes to the Facial Recognition Vendor Testing (FRVT) process

Abstract: Facial Recognition (FR) and Facial Identification (FI) continue to make headlines in the U.S. and around the world. Initial reluctance to deploy FR systems (and support with qualified FI analysts) has been tempered with the demonstrable benefits from proper applications of the enterprise. This Update on the Status of Facial Identification is intended to further inform the forensic science and other stakeholder communities as to how the facial analysis and examination discipline continues to expand and gain acceptance in the criminal justice system and the court of public opinion. Recent and current events wherein facial recognition technology and subsequent facial analysis conducted by skilled practitioners, has demonstrated the benefits of FI. Other elements in the presentation include:
• Some of the published standards or those in development to regulate the application of Facial Identification
• Status of the proposed certification programs for the Facial Examiner and Facial Reviewer
• Additional customers for FI practices (historical photo confirmation, missing person/fugitive updates)
• Future of the Facial Identification Discipline
The presentation will include summaries of standards that have been approved and published as well as standards in development. Additionally, attendees will be provided insight into emerging technologies, such as improved algorithms, Artificial Intelligence, etc. that will have a direct impact on the accuracy and effectiveness of Facial Recognition systems and the support offered through FI. It is hoped that participants will see the value in in the continued utilization of facial examination in conjunction with the deployment of an effective facial recognition system. Additionally, the proposed development and deployment of an accredited certification program will establish defendable scientific rigor for the discipline.