SAFR announced the appointment of Eric Hess as Senior Director of Product Management. In this new position, Hess will lead the product strategy and will be responsible for expanding and accelerating the core SAFR application globally, with a particular emphasis on the public safety and gaming markets.

Eric Hess is a well-known expert in the use of video analytics and facial recognition technologies for expedient resolution of criminal investigations, surveillance, loss prevention, and identity solutions. Prior to joining SAFR, Hess served as the Senior Director of Video Analytics for IDEMIA, a world leader in biometric solutions.

He also held senior sales and product management positions at MorphoTrak and NEC’s Global Center of Excellence for Face Recognition. As a former Port of Seattle police officer, Hess has a unique appreciation for the mission and challenges of law enforcement and public safety customers.

“We are very pleased to welcome Eric to the SAFR team,” said Dan Grimm, Vice President and General Manager of Computer Vision at RealNetworks.

“He brings a unique mix of operational experience, technical background, and business acumen to ensure the successful adoption of facial recognition and video analytics across wide-ranging commercial and public safety projects.”

“I am excited to join SAFR at a time when computer vision solutions are truly gaining momentum,” Hess said.

“Advances in machine learning and cost reductions in computing power enable SAFR to bring solutions to public safety and commercial markets not previously served — improving school safety, enhancing security for public transportation and air travel, and reducing risk and liability for commercial venues where society gathers. Facial recognition can be a force for good and can be applied to help make life safer and more convenient.”

As a recognized industry expert, Hess has been a speaker at numerous law enforcement and industry events, including INTERPOL, the Law Enforcement Video Association International (LEVA), the International Association for Identification (IAI), King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office and, most recently, at the U.S. Secret Service’s Electronic Crimes Task Force in Oakland, Calif. 

SAFR from RealNetworks is the world’s foremost computer vision platform for live video.