(COBB COUNTY, Ga.) — After an extended debate, the Cobb County Board of Commissioners approved a contract with tech company Clearview AI to allow the police department to use their facial recognition software as a crime-fighting tool. Both constituents and commissioners expressed concerns about the idea, noting a high risk of abuse of privacy.
The vote was held on Tuesday, December 13.
Police Chief Stuart VanHoozer acknowledged the concerns, saying “We are very careful in watching emerging technologies.” Department policy will restrict usage of the software. “We have been watching facial recognition for a while. We govern ourselves with a very strict policy, so the concerns very validly raised today that we share as human beings and citizens of this county are very strongly mitigated.”
VanHoozer said that the technology has already helped them identify homicide suspects and in one case, a murder victim.
The resolution was approved 5-0.