Dallas Police Department to Implement Facial Recognition Technology to Enhance Crime Fighting

The Dallas Police Department will introduce facial recognition technology to help identify and apprehend suspects, following the successful use of this technology in other cities.

The Dallas Police Department will begin using facial recognition technology to identify and apprehend suspects. This move follows the department’s observation of the technology’s effectiveness in other cities. The technology, provided by ClearView AI, scrapes the internet for billions of pictures, including those on social media platforms, and uses artificial intelligence to identify individuals the police are looking for.

Police Chief Eddie Garcia expressed enthusiasm for the program, citing its potential to be a “game changer” in crime fighting. The department plans to roll out the program within six months and has already used it in individual cases, including the identification of a suspected child pornographer. The program also demonstrated its effectiveness in South Florida, where authorities used it to identify and arrest a violent protester.

To address privacy concerns, the department will implement a “robust” policy that requires investigators to look for specific suspects accused of specific crimes, with peer review by a supervisor in the city’s Real Time Crime Center. This approach aims to prevent “fishing expeditions” and ensures the technology is used in a targeted and responsible manner.

The department will fund the program using grant money outside of the city budget, similar to the City of Miami’s $12,000 contract with ClearView AI in 20201. The technology will be particularly useful for identifying suspects in large crowds at sporting events and concerts, where public photos can aid the identification process.

Overall, the introduction of facial recognition technology in the Dallas Police Department marks a significant step forward in the city’s crime fighting efforts, with the potential to enhance public safety while also addressing privacy concerns through responsible implementation.