Can Technology defuse Systemic Racism within Police Organizations?

The question of systemic racism within law enforcement continues to receive substantial and daily attention from media, politicians and pundits on both the left and right of the political spectrum. All points of view must be welcomed and considered if there is to be any meaningful headway toward meeting these societal challenges.

Within the last four decades, the ethnic makeup of Canada’s larger communities has witnessed a relatively rapid evolution from that of a predominantly white mono-ethnic group to one of high ethnic diversity. In years past, routine stops and searches of persons viewed as “unsavory” sorts or found engaged in suspicious circumstances were not only routine but also expected. This form of stereotyping formed a key element in crime prevention and detection.

During the 1970’s and 1980’s, police responded to increased levels of criminal activity within the community by stepping up the frequency of these stops. The vast majority of interactions would include a demand for the person’s identity, a pat down or pocket search, and occasionally a Polaroid photo might be taken and later displayed on a police station wall or retained in a jury-rigged mug book. The resulting discovery of drugs, stolen property and other contraband often formed the basis of charges frequently resulting in a court finding of guilt. In other instances, a potential charge might be avoided if information was received that resulted in a criminal prosecution of a more serious nature. Often, within several weeks, the criminal activity would fall back to normal levels.

These procedures would most certainly be considered both groundless and unlawful by today’s legal standards, but this manner of policing must be viewed from a historical aspect. Police management supported the initiative and methods used by its officers to reduce crime. So too did many judges who considered the methods both lawful and effective. At this point, I’ll reiterate that the culture and ethnicity of these communities were homogenous or very nearly so.

This situation rapidly changed with the adoption of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms and the increased diversity of the ethnic make up of our communities. This brings us to the current dilemma facing modern law enforcement. How to balance effective criminal identification and reduction of crime while approaching the task from a fair and unbiased position. Upholding the spirit of the Charter and fostering trust of police within community members is the challenge. But how to do so? The solution might be as obvious as the body camera worn on a police officer’s vest.

A body worn camera possessing a “real time” connection with a secure online database running Facial Recognition technology could provide vital information while on routine patrol or resolving specific situations on the street. The science of biometrics, the measurement and classification of human characteristics performed by Artificial Intelligence is well accepted and proven. A mobile system would no doubt be of benefit to an officer by providing information regarding known career criminals, registered sexual offenders, members of criminal gangs or those possessing outstanding arrest warrants of a very serious nature. How often have we seen police ask the television audience for information regarding a video or still image of an as yet unidentified criminal suspect; why is this the case when a limited form of this technology is readily available to the average person having internet access?

This system could also extend to persons who may request voluntarily inclusion within the system for reasons of mental illness, dementia, severe behavioral problems, or other medical conditions including addiction, all of which might tend to place that person at higher risk when dealing with police or EMT personnel (emergency medical technicians).

Aside from the obvious safety benefit extended to both the attending officers and the persons they deal with, access to specific information could help form the legal grounds required to press an investigation to a successful conclusion - something in society’s best interests.

What the system must not furnish, are the identities of those not registered in the system; this would go a long way to reduce fears of a diminished degree of privacy. This program might help convince citizens of ethnicity they should no longer fear being unfairly targeted for questioning, while criminals or suspects could hardly claim racial or cultural harassment owing that the initial grounds of the investigation and or subsequent detainment arose from an artificial source and without possibility of intentional bias.

No doubt, there will be arguments pointing to privacy concerns and the arrival of the dystopian future suggested in Orwell’s novel, but then again, how readily has the public given the nod to commercial ventures seeking access to an individual’s personal information, and how is this justified? Certainly not out of any concern for the safety and security of society or the preservation of individual rights and privacy.

Consider a few examples where a person’s identity and privacy have already been deemed to take a backseat to society’s welfare. How about vehicle license plates? For years, police have queried any vehicle plate at any time obtaining the personal information of the registered owner as well as any associated information of a criminal nature. For a second and much more invasive example, you need only look to the recently augmented powers of police who may demand a breath sample from any driver they stop, despite the absence of any apparent symptom of alcohol or drug impairment. And what of private venues that require photo identification before allowing entry into a premise, such as a bar or liquor store?

The prudent and governed use of identification technology may increase the level of everyone’s personal safety by discouraging an abuse of authority based solely upon a personally held bias toward an ethnic group. At present, the deployment of this technology faces numerous challenges and resistance. Much of the reluctance toward its adoption arises from police organizations themselves, who are both highly regimented and conservative and for the most part unwilling to wade into any political controversy... and who could blame them. Consider recent calls for Police Defunding. The reluctance of police services to accept this difficult challenge is nullified by the fact that this technology has already arrived on their doorstep and isn’t about to disappear. Society is continually attempting to establish workable governance pertaining to information technology and finds itself frustrated when so few universally accepted policies and regulations appear on the horizon.

It is up to our politicians, police and other essential front line workers, the judiciary, privacy commissioners and other parties to step up and jointly determine how best to adapt and employ this increasingly powerful and yes - invasive technology. Sticking our collective heads in the sand and hoping the situation will resolve itself won’t benefit anyone, except perhaps the criminal.

It is imperative that police be allowed to effectively identify, interact and apprehend suspected criminals during the course of their patrols in order to maintain and improve the safety of our communities. It is equally essential that steps be taken to limit the abuse of power relating to a possible personal bias towards an ethnic group. The appropriate use of this technology might go a long way in making each of us feel more welcomed and secure within our communities.