Canadian police department becomes first to trial body cameras equipped with facial recognition technology

Canadian police department becomes first to trial body cameras equipped with facial recognition technology

Summary

The Edmonton Police Service has begun a pilot deploying Axon-made body cameras with facial recognition capabilities. Up to 50 officers are taking part in the trial, which runs through the end of December. The system is intended to flag individuals with outstanding warrants or prior “cautions” by comparing images captured by cameras to mugshots already held by the service.

Police say the facial-recognition component won’t be active while officers are patrolling and will only be enabled during investigations or when enforcement begins; matches identified by the software will be subject to human verification. The service says images of people within about 13 feet of an officer’s camera will be sent to the police database for comparison, and images with no match will be deleted.

Privacy officials have raised concerns about accuracy and potential bias, noting the technology’s documented shortcomings with people of colour. Edmonton’s police must supply a privacy impact assessment demonstrating the system meets Canada’s privacy-act standards before continuing the programme.

Key Points

• Edmonton Police Service is the first in Canada to trial body cameras with built-in facial recognition (Axon devices) with up to 50 officers participating.
• The pilot runs until the end of December and focuses on comparing camera images to an existing database of flagged mugshots (about 6,341 flagged individuals).
• Police say the facial-recognition feature won’t be running during routine patrols and matches will be human-verified before action is taken.
• Images of people within roughly 13 feet of a camera will be sent to the database for comparison; non-matching images are reportedly deleted.
• Privacy and accuracy concerns have been voiced by Alberta’s information and privacy commissioner, and a privacy impact assessment is required to show compliance with Canadian privacy law.

Context and relevance

This trial lands amid growing debate worldwide about the use of facial recognition by law enforcement. The technology’s uneven accuracy across different racial groups has prompted regulatory action and public backlash in several jurisdictions. For those tracking police surveillance, civil liberties, or policing technology, Edmonton’s pilot is a notable case study: it’s an early real-world deployment combining wearable cameras and automated matching against local mugshot databases.

The trial also ties into broader trends: vendors like Axon are pushing integrated hardware+software solutions to police forces, while regulators and privacy bodies are increasingly demanding proof of accuracy, bias mitigation and clear retention/deletion policies.

Why should I read this?

Short version: if you care about privacy, police powers, or tech that affects public safety, this is one to watch. It’s the first Canadian trial of body cams that can match faces to mugshot databases — so it could shape how policing and surveillance evolve here. We’ve skimmed the detail so you don’t have to — but it’s worth a read if you want the facts without wading through press statements and ads.

Source

Source: https://therecord.media/canadian-police-department-trials-facial-recognition-body-cameras