After years of internal planning and public debate about biometric surveillance, the Aurora Police Department (APD) has asked city leaders to formally allow it to use facial recognition software in criminal investigations, a move that has sparked questions about privacy, accuracy, and the proper limits of law enforcement technology.
The two systems are under consideration are ROC’s facial recognition service within LexisNexis’ Lumen/AVCC software platform, and Clearview AI. The department recently posted draft accountability reports for both systems to its website, opening a public comment period as required under Colorado law.
Under the draft proposal, Aurora would deploy facial recognition only in after-the-fact investigations when detectives already have reason to believe a crime has occurred and seek to identify persons of interest, witnesses, or victims…