DMV’s facial recognition software leads to Cedar City man’s arrest
ST. GEORGE — A Cedar City man whose crimes police say span from coast to coast was arrested Thursday after facial recognition software alerted special agents with the Utah Division of Motor Vehicles to the defendant’s alleged illegal activities.
Dustin Robert Bandringa was arrested Thursday on a warrant after being charged with one third-degree felony count of identity fraud and once count of unlawful possession of another’s identification documents, a class A misdemeanor.
The arrest stems from an incident that began on or about Aug. 24, 2017, when the defendant entered the DMV office in Cedar City to obtain a Utah identification card. After presenting the required identifying documents, he was issued a state ID card in his name.
Three months later, Bandringa again went to the Cedar City DMV office to obtain a state-issued identification card under a different name, according to the probable cause statement written in support of his arrest.
This time, the defendant allegedly requested the card using the name Douglas James Bandringa, and after presenting the required documentation, he was issued a state ID card under that name.
The defendant also listed a physical address in Cedar City for both cards, which investigators later discovered was actually the address for the Iron County Care and Share, according to court records.
Using facial recognition software, the DMV’s criminal information specialists later determined that both ID cards were issued to the same individual.
The case was then turned over to the Utah Department of Public Safety’s major crimes team, which found after further investigation that the name Douglas James Bandringa is the defendant’s brother.
Investigators located driver’s license information out of California for both the defendant and his brother, and after viewing the photo IDs, they were able to accurately identify the defendant as the one who entered the DMV and obtained ID cards in both names.
Iron County Sheriff’s Lt. Del Schlosser told Cedar City News that when DMV agents find potential illegal activity, they contact law enforcement — in this case the Department of Public Safety — to continue the investigation and followup with charges and arrest, if appropriate.
After speaking with the defendant’s family, agents learned that he did not have permission to use anyone else’s ID or personal information.
The case was turned over to the Iron County Attorney’s Office in September, and charges were filed shortly thereafter. Days later, a warrant was issued by the 5th District Court in Iron County for Bandringa’s arrest.
A stipulation filed with the court indicated that the charges required a higher bail amount based on Bandringa’s extensive criminal history that court records say “ranged from California to New York.” Records show the defendant has been arrested in Arizona, California, Kansas, New York, Oregon and Utah.
At the time of this report, Bandringa remains in custody at the Iron County Jail on $15,000 bail. His next court appearance is Nov. 21 for a preliminary hearing.
Facial recognition technology
Facial recognition software like that employed by DMV investigators uses biometrics to map facial features from a photo or video and compares that information with a database of known faces to find a match, according to Norton Security.
The software identifies as many as 68 facial landmarks that are put in an algorithm to produce a facial signature.
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