Summary explanation -- how it works:
Presently police officers
identifies themselves by way of a badge or other identification
they carry. The fact that anyone can claim to have authority
represents a serious security flaw:
a number of criminals and others often pose as persons of authority when
they do not actually have the authority they claim to have.
Rogue cop or legitimate cop on rogue mission: anyone can buy a siren and
flashing lights; people have no way of knowing if a uniform is bought from
a costume shop.
VeriCop is an application program and system that allows a police officer
or any other person in authority to verify their authority and retain the
trust of the people they assert that authority over.
Anyone can download the VeriCop app, which allows the officer or other
authority person to be photographed and verified. For example, a person
claiming to be an officer or ROGERS cable repairman, or the like,
can be photographed by a homeowner using the VeriCop app.
The photograph is automatically
sent to an organization participating in the VeriCop, and if the call is
legitimate, a response comes back confirming same, and the homeowner
opens their door.
Vericop can also be used outside the home, e.g. at traffic stops,
a motorist can verify the authority of a police officer and roll their
window down once they have confirmed that the person at their window is
a real officer.
Vericop has the added advantage of making a record of the encounter,
so that both parties are protected from situations where:
- an authority figure is being impersonated by someone who lacks the
authority (e.g. an escaped prisoner in a stolen police uniform);
- an authority figure operating outside their scope or jurisdiction
(e.g. a real police officer on a personal vandetta or mususing
their authority for personal gain, and doing so secretely from
their supervisor).
In situations where the parent organization of the
authority figure is not a member or subscriber of Vericop, the system can
still be useful. For example, a customer falsely accused of shoplifting
can verify the authority of an individual claiming to be a plain-clothes
undercover security guard. The customer photographs the alleged guard,
and sends the picture to the Vericop clearing house.
A person impersonating a security guard would be much less likely to
rob, rape, or murder a customer who has photographed them and entered them
into a search query at Vericop.
The cryptographic implementation of VeriCop can make use
of Alibi Sousveillance with the addition of e-ink patch encoding both
the current time, and the identity of the wearer.