Misconduct of law enforcement personnel is in the headlines. It’s also a topic of conversation among New York residents who had negative interactions with the police. Some allege excessive force or police brutality during arrests. Besides that, do officers of the NYPD overreach when using facial recognition software?
Lack of disclosure requirements fails transparency requests
Up until last year, the NYPD didn’t have to make any disclosures when conducting surveillance. Then the legislature passed a law that required transparency. However, there’s little information forthcoming.
The media now knows that the NYPD handled 22,000 facial recognition cases in three years. Thus far, the police department is slow to provide additional details.
Did the NYPD make an error in judgment when tracking you?
Excessive force or police brutality don’t always involve nightsticks. Sometimes,
excessive force/police brutality can be as simple as having an officer put you under surveillance without your knowledge. It’s fair to say that there are few answers, but there are plenty of questions. Moreover, there’s a lot of fear in the community.
For example, how do you know whether the cops are tracking you? Are your apps and cell phone safe? How does the NYPD choose whom to track?
What’s the responsible way of using the technology?
At this time, it’s questionable if the NYPD deals with any consequences over the use of tracking software. Because the law did not pass until recently, the police department could take advantage of the tracking and make use of the data. Now, there’s a bit of oversight. That said, it’s unclear precisely what this means.
If you believe that the NYPD violated your civil rights by tracking you, it might be worthwhile to discuss your situation with an attorney.
