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Demonstrating the Super-Recognizer advantage for law enforcement
Meike Ramon1,2,3, Matthew J Vowels1,4,5
1Applied Face Cognition Lab, Business School, Bern University of Applied Sciences, Bern, Switzerland.
Iscience
|July 23, 2026
Summary
Super-Recognizers (SRs) demonstrate enhanced face recognition for law enforcement. However, lab-based selection methods need improvement for individual police officer deployment.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Forensic Science
- Law Enforcement Technology
Background:
- Super-Recognizers (SRs) possess exceptional facial recognition skills.
- SRs are increasingly utilized by international police agencies.
- Existing evidence for SR utility in law enforcement is limited.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the performance of SRs within a large police cohort.
- To assess SRs using operationally relevant facial identity matching tasks.
- To determine the effectiveness of lab-based SR identification for law enforcement.
Main Methods:
- Utilized the Berlin Test for Super-Recognizer Identification (beSure®) with authentic forensic material.
- Tested approximately 18,000 Berlin Police officers from 2021.
- Applied previously published lab-based criteria for SR identification.
Main Results:
- Lab-identified SRs showed improved proficiency in forensically relevant tasks.
- Performance was assessed under challenging 1:n facial identity matching conditions.
- SRs exhibited increased ability in facial recognition tasks relevant to police work.
Conclusions:
- Lab-based SR identification supports their utility in law enforcement.
- Individual-level sensitivity of lab-based SR selection methods was limited.
- Bespoke, professionally relevant assessments are crucial for deploying SRs in law enforcement.
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