In the article titled “How the Police Use Facial Recognition, and Where It Falls Short,” Valentino-DeVries takes the opportunity to offer a guide on how the police use facial recognition and the weaknesses of the approach. In what she describes as “the oldest” technology, the author accepted that investigators can adopt the Facial Recognition to identify the victim’s face as evidence (Valentino-DeVries 2). This expertise majorly uses cameras to capture the photos and videos of the suspect. The recorded results are later analyzed and interpreted in the lab to reveal the identities of the perpetrators. Therefore, the police and criminal investigation departments use the approach as a help in revealing the suspects’ identity.
Nevertheless, despite the benefits of the use of the facial recognition approach, several weaknesses have been recognized. Some law enforcement officers, especially in Florida, do not trust the application of technique as a warrant of arrest. In their opinion, the judges believe that the software used for facial identity has been developed by either local or international companies (Valentino-DeVries 3). As a result, they are more prone to use number manipulation, which may tamper with the evidence. Further, Valentino-DeVries continues to note that changes in the technological trends may modify the nature of the results obtained from such facial recognition exercises. Finally, the author noted that the technology is more prone to discrimination against race, gender, and class. For example, the facial recognition procedure carried out by police often have negative results for black women (Valentino-DeVries 3). The above trend continues to show that the technology tends to be prejudiced.
Based on the presented facts, it is clear that, on the one hand, Valentino-DeVries managed to prove the power of using facial recognition to help in collecting evidence in criminal cases. On the other hand, she succeeded to refute the ability of this technology in promoting accuracy. Therefore, together with other criminal investigating agencies, the police department should carefully analyze the data before using this technology as the ideal way of collecting and presenting evidences it in a court of law.
Work Cited
Valentino-DeVries, Jennifer. “How the Police Use Facial Recognition, and Where It Falls Short.” New York Times, 2020. Web.