By Joanna Putman
Police1
DALLAS — The Dallas Police Department is set to introduce facial recognition technology using Clearview AI, aiming to enhance their ability to apprehend suspects involved in crimes, NBCDFW reported.
This technology utilizes artificial intelligence to analyze billions of images from the internet, including social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn, to identify individuals in criminal investigations, according to the report.
Dallas Police Chief Eddie Garcia, speaking to council members, expressed confidence in the technology, citing its successful application in identifying a suspected child pornographer from a background photo at a trade show.
“I think this will be a game changer,” Garcia said.
Garcia assured that there would be a “robust” policy in place to prevent misuse, requiring that use of the technology be limited to searching for specific suspects with oversight from a supervisor at the city’s Real Time Crime Center, according to the report.
Assistant Chief Armando Aguilar of the Miami Police Department, where Clearview AI was previously deployed, noted its effectiveness during a 2020 protest.
“We have used the technology to identify violent protestors, who assaulted police officers, who damaged police property, who set property on fire,” Aguilar said.
The funding for this program will come from grant money, not affecting the city budget, according to the report.