VeriCop

Verify the credentials of police officers.

  1. Invention title: VeriCop, Authorify, Verauth, etc..
  2. 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:

    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.

  3. Example commercial applications:
  4. Link to technical papers associated with the invention: Forthcoming. Meanwhile take a look at this personal anecdote: Intruder and possible burglar trespassing on private property, alleging to work for Rogers but refusing to identify himself
  5. Patent applications filed or issued: In progress.
  6. Prototypes constructed: Several working prototypes have been constructed by S. Mann, but additional work is required for commercialization.
  7. Further possibilities: This work can be extended and deepened, if desired, by bringing in Ryan Janzen, and Mir Adnan Ali, on this invention.

Related inventions:

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