The Edmonton Police Service made an announcement on Tuesday revealing its pioneering initiative to implement facial recognition technology on body cameras, in collaboration with Axon Enterprise. Acting Supt. Kurt Martin emphasized that this technology is intended to complement, not replace, traditional investigative methods, with officer verification of any identified resemblances. The primary objective is to enhance public and officer safety, while upholding privacy standards.
Axon Enterprise, a company based in Arizona specializing in military, law enforcement, and civilian technology, will provide the facial-recognition-enabled cameras for a trial involving up to 50 Edmonton police officers starting Wednesday. This initiative precedes the provincial mandate requiring all police officers in Alberta to use body cameras by 2023, with EPS commencing their bodycam rollout in 2024.
The trial phase seeks to assess the efficiency of utilizing mugshots to identify individuals flagged for officer safety concerns or with outstanding warrants for serious crimes. The facial recognition technology, when activated by officers during investigations, will automatically compare detected faces within four meters to the EPS database. Data not matching any entry will be promptly discarded, ensuring targeted use for individuals associated with severe offenses.
While Ian Adams, a criminology professor, urges caution in adopting AI technologies, EPS has submitted a privacy impact assessment for regulatory scrutiny. Alberta’s information and privacy commissioner, Diane McLeod, expresses reservations regarding the accuracy and privacy implications of facial recognition technology, referencing past violations by Clearview AI. The technology’s future use will be subject to rigorous evaluation by the Edmonton police commission and the chief’s committee in 2026.
