The government has purchased US$400,000 worth of biometrics security systems, including fingerprint-, iris- and face-recognition technology, San Diego-based ImageWare announced Wednesday.

The purchase is designed to increase security at the nation´s prisons, according to a December release by another biometrics company involved in the project, Australia´s Argus Solutions.

The government has been working to increase security and fight corruption at its prisons, where drug lords manage to run their cartels and many top criminals have staged successful escapes.

The new technology will allow the government to control access to secure areas, ImageWare said in a news release.

Bruce Lyman, Argus Solutions´ chief executive officer, said prisons will be able to more closely monitor who comes and goes.

"The technology will focus initially on visitor management and tracking, similar to that which we have already implemented in a number of Australian prisons," Lyman said.

.GEOLOGY

STRONG 6.7 MAGNITUDE EARTHQUAKE OCCURS OFF BAJA CALIFORNIA

A strong 6.7-magnitude earthquake occurred in the pre-dawn hours off the coast of the Baja California peninsula in the Sea of Cortés, also known as the Gulf of California, the U.S. Geological Survey´s National Earthquake Center in Golden, Colorado reported Wednesday.

The quake occurred about 2:32 a.m. local time, and was centered about 56 miles (89 kilometers) northeast of Santa Rosalia, in the state of Baja California. The quake occurred at an estimated depth of six miles (10 kilometers), the center reported.

The area is sparsely populated, and there were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.

USGS geophysicist John Bellini said the earthquake was too small and occurred along the wrong type of fault to cause a tsunami.