Headlines often paint a misleading picture of police’s use of facial recognition software in investigations, where it helps to generate identification leads by comparing facial images for similarity. Law enforcement professionals should not only be aware of the latest narratives to better field questions from the public but also be prepared to engage as subject matter experts who can distinguish between commonsense policy proposals for “guardrails” and those that could disrupt effective use of these tools.
A Primer
Facial recognition software compares and matches facial images. This is done using an algorithm to compare a presented image with one or more “enrolled” images, after the images are converted to unique numerical versions readable only by that specific system, they are compared for similarity. It has three primary functions, with outputs that differ by application:
Verification: Verifying a person matches an enrolled image associated with their identity.
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