The Detroit Police Department has agreed to adopt new regulations regarding facial recognition technology

The Detroit Police Department has agreed to stringent new restrictions on the use of facial recognition technology as part of a legal settlement. These measures are designed to address concerns over privacy, accuracy, and potential biases associated with the technology.

Under the new policies, the police are prohibited from making arrests solely based on the results of facial recognition searches or photo lineups immediately following such searches. Additionally, photo lineups cannot be conducted solely on the basis of facial recognition; there must be additional evidence linking a suspect to the crime.

These safeguards, enforceable by the court for the next four years, also mandate training for police officers on the risks and drawbacks of facial recognition technology. Furthermore, the settlement requires an audit of all cases since 2017 where facial recognition was used to secure arrest warrants.

The legal action stemmed from a lawsuit filed by Roger Williams, a Black man who was arrested after being identified through facial recognition. The lawsuit, supported by the ACLU and the Civil Rights Litigation Initiative at the University of Michigan Law School, highlighted concerns about racial bias in the technology’s accuracy.

The ACLU hailed the settlement as establishing some of the nation’s most stringent policies limiting law enforcement’s use of facial recognition technology. It underscored the disproportionate misidentification risks faced by women and people of color.

Roger Williams, reflecting on the settlement, emphasized ongoing efforts to raise awareness about the dangers associated with facial recognition technology. His case and the resulting settlement mark a significant step toward balancing law enforcement practices with privacy and civil rights concerns in the use of emerging technologies.