Peel police and York police have begun using facial recognition technology as part of their investigations, police announced in separate news releases Monday afternoon.
Both police departments said the move comes in consultation with the province's Information and Privacy Commissioner. Peel Police Department said the technology will automate part of police's current image comparison process.
“The new system will scan and compare lawfully collected digital evidence currently stored in our database,” Peel police Deputy Chief Nick Milinovich said in a statement. “Not only will this new technology make a significant contribution to criminal investigations, it will also allow mug shot searches to be performed more quickly with less human error, making the Peel region safer.”
Peel police say images in the organization's existing mugshot database are stored in accordance with the Criminal Identification Act and will not be used to scan or compare footage, such as live video, from other sources.
York police, in their own news release, also said no images will be collected from social media or surveillance camera footage as part of the program.
“We all know that criminal activity is not limited to a single jurisdiction,” York Police Chief Jim McSween said in a statement. “Our partnership with Peel Regional Police is cost-effective and allows us to work together on a broader scale to keep both our communities safe.”
