WernerPegasus' Smart Card-Based Vehicle Theft Control System Wins Award
LAS VEGAS--May 17, 2001--An advanced vehicle theft control system developed by WernerPegasus Corporation has earned the Innovative Security Technology Award at Thomson Financial's CardTech/SecurTech 2001, a conference dedicated to the latest developments in high-tech security.
The Pegasus Vehicle Theft Control System combines optical coding, portable scanners and smart card technology to produce a turnkey, corruption-proof application that eliminates opportunities for law enforcement officials or other parties to circumvent the system for their own personal gain.
The system has enabled Jalisco, Mexico, to recover more than 80 percent of the cars stolen in its jurisdiction of 6 million people. It has also reduced mean recovery time from 10 months to less than two months, thereby minimizing the damage sustained by stolen vehicles. This success has inspired five additional states in Mexico to begin implementation of the system.
"The Pegasus system is an impressive example of cutting-edge security technologies in action," said Ben Miller, conference chair and CardTech/SecurTech founder. "In Jalisco, Mexico, alone, the system has resulted in the recovery of more than 1,400 cars, the arrest of over 700 perpetrators, and a significant initiative against organized crime and police corruption. It is difficult to imagine more powerful testimony to the value of a multi-pronged approach to high-tech security."
In the Pegasus system, special stickers containing non-forgeable optical codes are placed on every registered vehicle in a participating jurisdiction for vehicle identification purposes. In the field, police officers scan those codes on vehicles in public areas using customized handheld scanners with built-in smart card read/write technology. The scanners also contain a database of information on up to 200 million vehicles sought by law enforcement officials for reasons ranging from theft to hit-and-run involvement, unpaid vehicle fees and traffic tickets.
Every time a scanned vehicle matches the database, the match is recorded in the unit as well as on the smart card the officer used to activate the scanner. Smart cards also secure the data in the scanner, tie the officer to the vehicles being scanned, and are used to download reports of the officer's activity when he or she returns to the office. Fingerprint biometrics add additional security when users require access to the central database, need to change vehicle status or have other high-security needs.
"The CardTech/SecurTech award is a strong endorsement of our technology and an important acknowledgement of the contribution our system can make to enhancing public safety," said Ed Yakin, President of WernerPegasus Corporation. "With 1.1 million stolen cars in the U.S. every year and annual losses due to car theft now hitting $7 billion, we believe our system holds great promise for bringing the car theft problem under control."
