Memo: APD used facial recognition technology to identify robbery, assault suspect
AUSTIN (KXAN) — In a city memo last week, the city of Austin reported the Austin Police Department used facial recognition technology to help identify a suspect wanted in connection with three separate alleged crimes last week in Austin.
The use of facial recognition technology must be approved by the city manager and reported to the city council and public with full details, according to a city resolution. The city passed that resolution after days of Austin demonstrations and protests in 2020 against police brutality related to the deaths of George Floyd in Minneapolis and Mike Ramos in Austin.
In May 2024, KXAN reported the city opened an investigation after The Washington Post reported at least 13 instances where outside police departments provided results of facial recognition to APD officers due to the city banning the use of facial recognition.
On April 24, two robberies and one aggravated assault were committed by the suspect, according to the city memo.
“The suspect in these crimes has shown a willingness to use violence against random members of the public,” the city said. “Accordingly, APD determined that the suspect presents an imminent danger, and that facial recognition technology could mitigate that threat by identifying the suspect more quickly than would otherwise be possible using other investigative tools.”
The city said Broadnax approved the use of the technology to investigate the three separate alleged crimes.
Furthermore, the memo said the only images being used were images that were obtained from “already identified surveillance footage.”
“No other persons from the same surveillance footage will be included in images used for facial recognition technology, eliminating the possibility that innocent witness and victim images are uploaded into the software,” the city said.
The memo went on to say that the information obtained from using the facial recognition technology “will be retained for 10 years, consistent with the City’s established retention period for a 1st Degree Felony investigation.”
The APD Robbery Unit will use the information to assist its investigation, since those cases were approved by the city manager. However, if the department can determine that the suspect committed “additional, currently unknown violent criminal acts before or after the incidents being investigated,” that information would only be shared with detectives assigned to those cases, the memo said.
