Surveillance Spread

More communities, as well as private residents within these communities, have access to video surveillance and facial recognition tools. Facial recognition attempts to identify people's race, age, gender, and ethnicity. There is growing wariness of these privately and publicly used surveillance tools, particularly regarding the negative impacts they may have on vulnerable populations.

Police departments in the U.S. and worldwide are already adopting AI-powered software for crime prediction and suspect identification, and some are experimenting with AI tools to draft incident reports. However, these advancements raise concerns about bias in the data used to train AI systems, potentially reinforcing inequalities and leading to unfair outcomes. Additionally, relying heavily on algorithms can have fatal consequences, as seen in Spain, where an algorithm failed to predict repeated domestic violence, resulting in inadequate protection for the victim. Drones are also seeing increased use by law enforcement, including the deployment of drones to detect suspicious activities after disasters. While drones provide the advantage of being faster first responders than traditional police units and have the potential to prevent crimes, concerns have arisen regarding the overpolicing of disadvantaged communities and identity protection.

With the growing reliance on AI in law enforcement, a new challenge arises: how to prepare communities for the reality of constant surveillance and data collection. Planners can serve as representatives of their communities to advocate for equity in the use of these technologies and collaborate with law enforcement to develop better guidance and regulations.