WASHINGTON _ Shoplifters beware: Closed-circuit cameras in stores might be observing more than you think. As facial recognition software gets better, the battle against retail theft is moving into high tech.
Retail stores with facial recognition systems can spot convicted or admitted shoplifters in about the time it takes to walk two paces into an establishment.
"We can match a face against the database of 25 million people in just under a second. Two or three years ago, that was just unheard of," said Peter Trepp, chief executive of FaceFirst, an Encino, California, firm that is a leader in retail surveillance tools.
