From October 2006 to the end of January 2007, the Bundeskriminalamt tested biometric face recognition as a new search tool for the police under the working title "Photograph-Based Searches". 200 commuters took part in the field test and contributed to the success of the project.
The outcome of the test is that it is possible to automatically recognise wanted persons in crowds only if the external conditions, in particular, the lighting, are appropriate.
The public final report can be downloaded here: