The Edmonton Police Service (EPS) has launched a pilot project for artificial intelligence body cameras.
From last Wednesday through the end of December, officers will wear gear from Arizona-based Axon Enterprise. The cameras will use facial recognition software to search for matches in a pre-loaded database. EPS says the database contains personal information on about 7,000 people who have been flagged as a security risk due to outstanding warrants for violent crimes, including robbery, aggravated assault and murder.
It works like this: The body camera scans the faces of people within a four-meter radius of the officer and sends that data to the cloud for comparison with the EPC database. If the person in question is not the person of interest, the data will be deleted. In the meantime, potential matches will be sent to a trained specialist for review within 24 hours.
EPS believes this technology will make policing safer and faster. It also said similar facial recognition technology is already being used to identify faces in CCTV footage. It should also be noted that the Government of Alberta approved in 2023 that all officers in the province wear body cameras.
However, these AI-powered cameras are already attracting a lot of attention. First, some have noted that this technology may have biases related to race, gender and age. Diane McLeod, Alberta Information and Privacy Commissioner, also said CTV News Edmonton that she is concerned both about these biases and about EPS preserving the privacy of Canadians, as stated in Privacy Protection Act.
It remains to be seen what may come of this pilot when it ends at the end of the month. EPS says it will review the results in the new year before deciding how to move forward.
Image credit: Shutterstock
By using: Associated Press
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