A bill recently passed in the state Senate would prevent law enforcement from using facial recognition technology.
Republican Senator Peter Lucido is a bill sponsor. He says technology is developing faster than state laws.
“This is just a law to catch up to what it is that is going on. People are being searched without any warrant based on electronics,” Lucido said.
Some members of law enforcement have concerns about the bill.
Bill Vailliencourt is the president of the Prosecuting Attorneys Association of Michigan.
“Law enforcement understands the concerns about the idea of the surveillant state and real time facial recognition software being used,” Vailliencourt said.
He says the bill that passed the state Senate is better than the original draft. For example, there’s is an exception that allows police to use the technology in case of an emergency.
But Vailliencourt says he’s concerned that the bill bans the use of information obtained from real time facial recognition technology.
Another concern is whether local law enforcement and prosecutors could use facial recognition evidence obtained by federal officers, or an independent company. For example, a bank could have its own technology. If that bank is robbed, could it share that technology with law enforcement? Vailliencourt says it’s not clear. He says there is still work to be done to find a balance.
The bill is now up for consideration in the state House.
