Document and Entity Information (USD $)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2012	May 11, 2012
Document And Entity Information
Entity Registrant Name	IMAGEWARE SYSTEMS INC
Entity Central Index Key	0000941685
Document Type	10-Q
Document Period End Date	Mar. 31, 2012
Amendment Flag	false
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31
Is Entity a Well-known Seasoned Issuer?	No
Is Entity a Voluntary Filer?	No
Is Entity's Reporting Status Current?	Yes
Entity Filer Category	Smaller Reporting Company
Entity Public Float		$ 686,121
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		68,612,106
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q1
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2012