At the end of 2012, Professor William Robson Schwartz had the idea of creating a research group focused on smart surveillance and fostering the area in Brazil. In January 2013, the Smart Surveillance Interest Group (SSIG), current Smart Sense Laboratory, was born in the Department of Computer Science of the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG). Since its first meeting, attended by its only four members, much has changed and the group has expanded not only in members, but also in focus, which besides smart surveillance and biometrics now includes forensic computing. Currently, the Smart Sense Lab consists of more than 30 members, including undergraduate and graduate students, researchers and developers. To investigate problems in its three main areas of interest (video surveillance, forensic computing, and biometrics), the group develops techniques involving of computer vision, machine learning, and digital image processing. In its five years of existence, the group has achieved an extensive academic production with publications in the main international journals and conferences in the world. The Smart Sense Laboratory develops projects with support from government agencies such as the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq), the Minas Gerais State Agency for Research and Development (Fapemig) and the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (Capes). The group also works on R&D projects in partnership with private companies such as Samsung, Petrobras, Hewlett-Packard and Maxtrack. Such partnerships allow the group to advertise its work and transform it into more direct benefits to society, by means of new products and technologies.