DataWorks Plus
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Biometrics, Technology |
| Founded | 2000 |
| Headquarters | Greenville, South Carolina , United States |
Key people | Brad Bylenga (CEO), Todd Pastorini (EVP/GM) |
| Products | Biometric data storage and matching technologies, facial recognition software (Face Watch, FACE Plus) |
DataWorks Plus LLC is a privately owned biometrics systems integrator based in Greenville, South Carolina. Established in 2000, the company initially focused on mugshot management before expanding its expertise to include facial recognition technology by 2005. Leadership includes CEO Brad Bylenga and EVP/GM Todd Pastorini. Their biometric solutions, widely adopted by law enforcement agencies, have been associated with instances of incorrect arrests.
Products
DataWorks Plus offers biometric data storage and matching technologies that encompass fingerprints, palm prints, irises, tattoos, and mugshots. Its Face Watch platform provides continuous facial detection on live video feeds with timestamp indexing. The FACE Plus software supports facial recognition for still images, incorporating sophisticated filtering methods and 3D pose adjustments.
The firm incorporates facial recognition algorithms sourced from NEC, Rank One Computing (headed by CEO Brendan Klare), and Cognitec. NIST evaluations have revealed demographic biases in algorithms from both NEC and Rank One. EVP Todd Pastorini has characterized DataWorks as a "pseudo-expert" in this field; however, the company does not publicly disclose formal accuracy or bias assessments.
California
DataWorks engineered the California Facial Recognition Interconnect, a statewide system connecting numerous agencies such as the Los Angeles County Sheriff (housing 9 million images), San Diego County Sheriff (2.5 million images), Sacramento County Sheriff (1.75 million images), among others spanning several counties.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department has utilized Cognitec’s algorithm since 2008 under an initial seven-year agreement extended in 2015 valued at $3.5 million. This system integrates facial recognition alongside fingerprint analysis, tattoo matching (with a database of 2 million images), composite sketching, and DMV image records via Cal-Photo.
San Diego County began working with DataWorks no later than 2007, initially piloting Face Plus before transitioning to Cognitec’s algorithm by 2010. The San Francisco Police Department entered into a three-year contract in 2017 worth $150,000 annually for access to facial recognition software and mugshot databases; however, San Francisco prohibited government use of facial recognition technology in 2019. EVP Pastorini noted that their system does not employ neural networks or machine learning techniques like those used by Microsoft or Amazon and expressed regret over the ban despite no documented misuse locally.
Since at least 2011, the San Jose Police Department has relied on DataWorks’ fingerprint biometric system.
Florida
DataWorks reports having sold more than 5,000 fingerprint scanning devices within Florida.
Michigan
Since 2001, DataWorks has collaborated with the Michigan DMV and Michigan State Police, overseeing a database containing 8 million criminal records and 32 million DMV photographs. They linked Michigan’s system to the FBI's Next Generation Identification facial recognition pilot program and later integrated Maryland's Department of Public Safety systems, covering 25 agencies and over 1,000 users.
The City of Detroit and its Police Department secured a three-year contract worth $1 million for DataWorks' "FACE Watch Plus" real-time video monitoring system. This utilizes feeds from Project Green Light—a network comprising more than 500 public and private cameras located at intersections, gas stations, pharmacies, clinics, churches, apartment complexes, hotels, and schools. The agreement references the use of approximately 100 video streams. Additionally, Detroit’s Crime Intelligence Unit accesses Michigan's Statewide Network of Agency Photos (SNAP) through DataWorks and integrates this data with Motorola's Command Central Aware Console.
In June 2020, Detroit’s police chief disclosed that DataWorks’ facial recognition technology yielded a 96% misidentification rate. Of the 70 reported cases that year, 68 involved Black individuals and 65 were male. DataWorks stated they do not monitor usage data nor provide guidance on how clients apply their software.
In February 2023, a Black pregnant woman was mistakenly arrested due to a facial recognition match generated by DataWorks—marking Detroit’s third wrongful arrest connected to this technology.
Chicago
The Chicago Police Department together with the Chicago Transit Authority employ "FACE Watch Plus" to perform live facial recognition across Chicago’s extensive network of roughly 20,000 surveillance cameras, integrated through Genetec's Omnicast platform. This system, which contains a database of 7 million criminal images, aids investigations by analyzing footage from street-level cameras, social media platforms, and additional sources.
Others
In Maryland, DataWorks developed a comprehensive statewide facial recognition platform that combines DMV photographs (7 million) with criminal records (2 million) from the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services, while also connecting to the FBI’s facial recognition database. The company also delivered three mobile license plate recognition units acquired in 2007 for $60,000.
Pennsylvania’s JNET Facial Recognition System (JFRS), built by DataWorks, merges PENN DOT DMV photos with the Commonwealth Photo Imaging System (CPIN). This system supports multiple law enforcement entities including the Pennsylvania State Police, Department of Corrections, and Philadelphia Police Department. Notably, during the 2020 George Floyd demonstrations, Harrisburg police intended to utilize facial recognition technology to identify individuals involved in acts of vandalism.
The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) along with the DMV operate FACE Plus, which incorporates a database of 8.5 million DMV images; the Charleston County Sheriff’s Office is also among its users.
The New York Police Department employs DataWorks Plus for its facial recognition capabilities.
In New Zealand, a nationwide upgrade valued at NZ$5 million was planned for completion by late 2020, designed to integrate facial recognition from diverse sources such as security cameras and criminal records. This initiative raised concerns regarding both privacy compliance and the accuracy of the technology.
DataWorks Plus reports supporting over 1,000 agencies throughout the United States, including the Virginia State Police, Wake County CCBI and Raleigh Police Department, Miami Dade Police Department, Collier County Sheriff’s Office (Naples, Florida), Columbus Police Department (Ohio), Irving Police Department (Texas), as well as the New Jersey/New York High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area.