Bulloch deputies ID suspects faster than ever before

BULLOCH COUNTY, Ga. (WSAV) — The Bulloch County Sheriff’s Office says they’re able to identify suspects faster than ever before using a new crime-fighting tool.

It’s called Rapid-ID, and it’s no bigger than a cellphone. Sheriff Noel Brown says suspects who refuse to identify themselves can be dangerous.

“They’re trying to hide who they are and if that’s the case something bad has happened,” said Brown. “It’s usually having to do with gun charges or an assault on another person or a murder. It’s usually bad.”

Using Rapid-ID technology, deputies can run fingerprints through the database from anywhere in the field, where traditionally, they’d have to take a trip to the jail to know who they’re dealing with.

Corporal Austin Williams has already had some success using the tool. He says knowing who a suspect is can make him feel more at ease.

“Let’s say he was wanted for aggravated assault, and now we know he’s a dangerous person, he’s wanted for aggravated assault, and we need to take more caution when dealing with him and we need to go ahead put him under arrest and take him into custody,” said Williams.

Only those with a criminal record show up. The sheriff says on top of the efficiency, it adds a layer of safety for deputies.

“There is no price whatsoever that I would try to say was too much for a person’s life,” said Brown. “If we keep them safe, they can keep our citizens safe.”

He says they cost the department about $7,000 a piece. They have around 10 and are thinking of buying more.

You can refuse the Rapid-ID just like you can a breathalyzer, but you would still be arrested.

They say the device can really help too if the suspect has been injured and stuck in the hospital. Now they can run prints right from a hospital bedside, rather than waiting on them to be discharged and booked.