Ban on facial-recognition technology in West Lafayette police tabled again

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — An ordinance banning the government use of facial-recognition technology was tabled this week to the April West Lafayette Metropolis Council assembly.

Related makes an attempt to ban this use of facial-recognition know-how have been dealt with by the board in the earlier. Most lately, a past ordinance relating to this ban was handed by the board with a 5-4 vote at the November 2021 meeting. Nevertheless, this vote was immediately vetoed by West Lafayette mayor John Dennis.

The prior ordinance outlined parts of issue:

• Facial-recognition surveillance shall mean an automatic or semi-automated approach that assists in determining or verifying an person, based on the bodily traits of an individual’s facial area.

• Facial-recognition surveillance program shall imply any personal computer software or application that performs facial-recognition surveillance.

“I do suspect that this is just the beginning of a fantastic deal of discussion when it arrives to this style of technological innovation,” Dennis explained in November. “There is so a great deal data that was reviewed on the council that truly does make us mindful that they require to have much more conferences and an open up intellect about it.”

The existing ordinance was tabled Monday evening to the April conference due in component to the absence of two town council board members.

“I have heard from the law enforcement main of West Lafayette and from some of my fellow metropolis councilors that they nonetheless have considerations about this ordinance,” David Sanders, councilman and sponsor for the ordinance, mentioned Monday night. “And we are also missing two of the councilors tonight. So, in get to be equipped to handle the various problems and see no matter whether we can find an ordinance that is appropriate to everyone, I would go that this ordinance… be tabled until eventually the April assembly of the city council.”

Sanders introduced this ordinance by stating that he has been doing the job with legal counsel due to the fact the summer of 2021 to build an appropriate regulatory ordinance regarding facial-recognition technology.

Tale proceeds

“I imagined I experienced dealt with all the problems,” Sanders informed the Journal & Courier. “The concentration of all of the comments that prior conferences (held) was that… we must be capable to use this software for crimes of violence. That’s in the new ordinance. Now, from what the police main has despatched to us – and what I’ve listened to from city councilors – they want anything extra. I want to determine out what that anything more is.”

West Lafayette Law enforcement Main Troy Harris spoke with the Journal & Courier relating to these more fears with this ordinance.

“I believe that… if we want to have an ordinance, if we want to test to uncover some center floor,” Harris claimed. “That middle ground must be that the law enforcement division is ready to use this (engineering) for… any legitimate law enforcement purpose.

“…I assume that (the ordinance) requirements to be expanded. I imagine that this ordinance is much too restrictive… I concur that there need to be some limitations on facial-recognition…I would in no way advocate for surveilling our neighborhood… The only point I am inquiring is that we have the skill to examine a criminal offense when we have victims in our neighborhood by utilizing facial-recognition and not have any restrictive measures positioned on us.”

The subsequent West Lafayette City Council meeting will be on April 4 in Margerum Metropolis Hall.

Margaret Christopherson is a reporter for the Journal & Courier. Electronic mail her at [email protected] and stick to her on Twitter @MargaretJC2.

This report at first appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Ban on facial-recognition technologies tabled once again