InterAct Public Safety Systems has reportedly purchased the law enforcement division of New Jersey-based Bio-key International. InterAct said the acquisition will make it the world's largest public safety software company as the deal adds 2,000 more customers across three continents.

 

The Winston-Salem-based InterAct has agreed to pay $11 million for the division of Bio-key. The transaction, however, is subject to customary closing conditions, the companies said in a press release.

 

BIO-key's biometric finger identification technology identifies and authenticates users of wireless and enterprise data to improve security, convenience and privacy and to reduce identity theft. More than 1,000 police departments in North America use BIO-key solutions. InterAct specializes in advanced telephony, computer-aided dispatch and mapping, mobile data sharing and record management for emergency responders.

 

The firm’s international law enforcement division consists of MobileCop, PocketCop, MobileRescue, MobileOffice, and InfoServer product lines.

 

 “As a result of this acquisition, we have the unique opportunity to deliver the most advanced mobile law enforcement solution to ever hit the market, and to introduce a new population of customers to the advantages inherent in the InterAct Connections Framework,” said InterAct Public Safety (News - Alert) Systems Executive Chairman and CEO Andrew J. “Flip” Filipowski, in a statement.

 

 For law enforcement personnel, BIO-key’s mobile wireless technology helps to gain critical information such as warrants, stolen vehicle reports and other critical information from Federal, state and local databases. Using a smartphone or laptop, law enforcement personnel, firemen, and emergency medical technicians can also receive computer-aided dispatches, in addition to real-time data and images while en route or on-scene.

 

The acquisition brings another advantage for InterAct : BIO-key’s law enforcement division recently entered a partnership with Nlets. As per the agreement, Law Enforcement Division can use Nlets’ network to provide wireless communication systems and support to law enforcement, criminal justice, and other government organizations.

 

“This transaction will not only allow BIO-key to focus on our core offerings, but allow for InterAct to take a clear leadership position in public safety software as the largest, most advanced provider in the country,” said Thomas J. Colatosti, chairman of BIO-key International, in a statement.