Power Engineering - Cross Match Technologies live scan fingerprint system being used in many nuclear power plant employee background checks

PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla., June 30, 2003 -- With the latest sale of its industry-leading ID 1000® biometric live scan fingerprinting systems to Exelon Corporation's Nuclear division, Cross Match Technologies, Inc. live scan systems are in place providing employee background check enabling technology at 70 of the nation's 103 nuclear power plants.

Even prior to today's security concerns, the nation's nuclear power plants are required to conduct background checks on all employees, including contractors who perform work on the sites.

These employee background checks include the submission of employees'/contractors' fingerprints to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, which in turn sends the prints for analysis against various national databases, including those maintained by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Live scan technology replaces traditional ink-on-paper fingerprints by taking prints of a person's 10 fingers by scanning the image electronically.

Cross Match's ID 1000 live scan system, which is certified by the FBI for quality and performance standards, allows a substantial improvement in time and quality while completing background checks through the electronic submission of digital fingerprints. Results are obtained in a matter of days, versus the four-to-six weeks it used to take prior to electronic comparison. Importantly, the quality of the fingerprint is much improved using the Cross Match live scan system. This significantly lowers reject rates thereby greatly speeding up the checking process.

In its most recent nuclear power plant related order, Cross Match sold several of its systems to Exelon Nuclear. With 17 nuclear reactors at ten sites in three states, Exelon Nuclear is the nation's largest operator of commercial nuclear power plants and third largest in the world.

The systems used by Exelon Nuclear provide a complete turnkey solution for its fingerprinting and electronic submission needs, and include the ID 1000, special software that captures 'demographics' (pertinent biodata) and a laptop computer used by the technician in the fingerprinting process. As the fingers are placed on an optical sensor, an electronic image of the fingerprint is captured and displayed on the laptop's screen, enabling the technician to verify the quality of the print. The technician also then enters in such biodata as name, address and relevant other information.

"The Cross Match solution will play a central role in our continuing efforts to meet the strict and urgent Federal requirements for conducting background checks on those working at our nuclear power facilities," said Susan Techua, Access Authorization/Fitness for Duty Program Manager at Exelon. "The ID 1000 from Cross Match is particularly suited to our needs with its ease of operation, portability and durability. In addition, Cross Match's professionalism and support have made the entire process, from acquisition to implementation, a smooth and effortless experience," she added.

"Our technology innovations have enabled us to be the vendor of choice for the nuclear power industry as our equipment is now being used by almost 70 percent of the nation's nuclear power plants," said Theodore "Ted" Johnson, Chairman and CEO of Cross Match. "Our pricing, performance and operator-friendly characteristics have once again placed our products as the favored live scan solution to meet critical and exacting security needs. We are honored to be supporting a leader such as Exelon in their critical security initiatives."

Exelon Corporation is one of the nation's largest electric utilities with approximately five million customers and more than $15 billion in annual revenues. The company has one of the industry's largest portfolios of electricity generation capacity, with a nationwide reach and strong positions in the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic. Exelon distributes electricity to approximately five million customers in Illinois and Pennsylvania and gas to 444,000 customers in the Philadelphia area. The company also has holdings in such competitive businesses as energy, infrastructure services and energy services. Exelon is headquartered in Chicago and trades on the NYSE under the ticker EXC (NYSE:EXC - News).

Since its founding in 1996, Cross Match Technologies, Inc. has been at the forefront of applying forensic quality fingerprint imaging technology towards the development of cost-effective biometric security solutions for law enforcement, federal, aviation, commercial and international organizations. Headquartered in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, and offering the broadest product lines in the industry, Cross Match is recognized for setting new standards in fingerprint imaging components through its more than 70 existing or pending patents and related intellectual properties. Additional information on Cross Match is available at http://www.crossmatch.com.

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