LaserCard Corp., which is already providing ID cards for Italy’s government, has now been awarded an $800,000 contract to supply its optical memory cards to the Carabinieri, the Italian national police force. The cards will be issued to all uniformed and civilian employees of the agency and will store personal data including employment, biometric identification and health information.

LaserCard, Mountain View, Calif., has custom-designed a card structure that integrates multiple technologies including an optical stripe, covert and overt security features and a contactless chip and antenna. The card design also ensures that Italy’s national printer, Poligrafico, can add a contact chip to enable access to e-government services.