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Cops could soon be using iPhones armed with facial recognition software
Get ready, because you may feel very uncomfortable in a few months when police officers are issued heavily-modified iPhones that are equipped with facial recognition, fingerprint scanners, and -- get this -- iris recognition. The phones, which should cost about US $3,000, would be used to allow for positive identification in the field, as opposed to hauling suspects all the way down to the station to verify their identity and arrest record.
The system is called MORIS (Mobile Offender Recognition and Identification System), and it's being developed by B12 Technologies for cops in Massachusetts; it's starting small in Brockton and slated to be statewide sometime soon. It may be confined to one state for the time being, but it's just flashy enough to be the sort of thing that ends up getting adopted by every major police force across the country that has the funding to spare.
When you watch the video, you'll notice that the Brockton Chief of Police puts heavy emphasis on how this technology won't be abused, in any way, by officers out on the street. He says that it's meant to be used only when somebody has "done something wrong," and there is probable cause to use the tech. The problem, as I see it, is that "probable cause" can mean (literally) anything, depending on the situation. It's really only a matter of time before gaggles of ego-tripping rookies begin stopping people for little to no reason and giving them the Minority Report treatment with their brick-sized iPhones.
Comments
2
Subscribe to commentsGDJun 17th 2010 4:12PM
Probable cause is a well-defined legal term. It can't mean "(literally) anything."
VotreJun 17th 2010 4:18PM
They could very easily make it difficult to abuse by restricting it so that it can only be used after someone is arrested rather than before. Most police officers are well aware of the consequences they may face making a 'false' arrest, so you can be sure what they're calling "probable cause" is in fact probable.
Up till now, fingerprinting and other "positive" identification procedures have only been used as part of someone's arrest processing.
The basic
It's important to realize that other than being reasonably cooperative (i.e. non-threatening) if stopped, and unresisting while being taken into custody, you don't have to do anything. You needn't talk to the police at all if you don't want to. Nor can you be required to show any identification unless you have been stopped while operating a motor vehicle. The police may imply you have to, usually by threatening to arrest you if you refuse. But that's really just a common intimidation tactic. If you surrender your ID" voluntarily" in the face of such a threat however, that's that.
They may still arrest you on suspicion (or some manufactured up charge) if you refuse to show ID. But if they do, the burden of proof is on them to show your arrest was based on a valid cause.
There's a 45 minute video up on YouTube. UIt's called: BUSTED: The Citizen's Guide to Surviving Police Encounters. Watch it.
It could turn out to be the most valuable investment of your time you've ever made.