Facial Recognition in use by Detroit Police Department
Information Certainty: Documented
Deployment Purpose: Criminal investigations, Surveillance
| Summary |
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Products and Institutions:
Status and Events:
| Status | Ongoing |
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| Events | |
| Start Date | |
| End Date |
Users:
| Involved Entities | Project Green Light Detroit |
|---|---|
| Managed by | Detroit Police Department |
| Used by | Detroit Police Department |
Location:
| City | Detroit (MI) |
|---|---|
| Country ⠉ | USA |
Description[ ]
Detroit Police Department use facial recognition to target criminals, with a high profile case being the misidentification of Robert Williams, who then sued the city. They also use an extended network of cameras in private businesses to monitor crime. Although the cameras do not have facial recognition capabilities, the video feeds can be used for such purposes. BriefCam listed Detroit Police Department as a client in 2019.
Facial recognition technology became a highly contentious national issue last year when the Detroit Police Department’s use of the technology led to the wrongful arrest of Robert Williams. The city renewed the contract last fall, despite growing concerns over civil rights violations, and Detroit police use the technology at its Real Time Crime Center downtown. However, the department can use the technology only under specific guidelines, per the policy the BOPC approved in 2019 3
On each of the department’s facial recognition reports, there is a section that shows where the source image used in the search came from. Though 29 of the source images used this year have come from the City’s controversial Project Green Light cameras, 25 of the images used came from social media. Interim Chief James White told BridgeDetroit back in June that the department has about 150 intel specialists who monitor social media. These intel specialists work out of the department’s Real Time Crime Center 3
In Detroit, police use of face recognition led to the wrongful arrest of Robert Williams, a Black man who was arrested at his home in front of his family. Face recognition’s proven track record of inaccuracy when used against people of color makes us even more likely to be targeted, arrested, or detained. But even if this technology was perfectly accurate, it would still harm communities of color by facilitating systems that are already racist 2
BriefCam’s video content analytics capabilities enable both private and public sectors to deliver safer, secure and sustainable cities by reducing the crime rate, spurring economic growth, and enabling situational awareness 1
References
- a b "BriefCam at Work in Safe Cities 2". BriefCam (2019) Accessed: 2022-06-26
- a b "{How Face Recognition Fuels Racist Systems of Policing and Immigration — And Why Congress Must Act Now".
- a b c "What we know so far about Detroit's controversial use of facial recognition". (2021) <http://www.bridgedetroit.com/what-we-know-so-far-about-detroits-controversial-use-of-facial-recognition/> Accessed: 2022-06-09