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Barry Friedman

Barry Friedman

Professor of Law at New York University; Founding Director, Policing Project

Appears in 2 stories

Notable Quotes

"It’s essential not to use these technologies, which have very real costs and risks, unless there’s some clear indication of the benefits." (on the Edmonton pilot)([washingtonpost.com](https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2025/12/07/ai-facial-recognition-axon-edmonton/145d079e-d35f-11f0-a93c-a869cf73ebd6_story.html?utm_source=openai))

“It’s essential not to use these technologies, which have very real costs and risks, unless there’s some clear indication of the benefits.”

“It’s not a decision to be made simply by police agencies and certainly not by vendors.”

Stories

From bans to bodycams: how police facial recognition is moving onto the street

New Capabilities

Leading critic of Axon’s pivot toward facial recognition on bodycams

In December 2025, the Edmonton Police Service began testing Axon body cameras with third-party facial-recognition software. The watchlist contained 6,341 people flagged for risks like 'violent or assaultive,' 'armed and dangerous,' or 'high-risk offender,' plus 724 with serious warrants—roughly 7,000 faces. Officers didn't get real-time alerts; instead, footage was analyzed to test accuracy and workflows.

Updated 6 days ago

Axon revives police facial recognition on bodycams with Edmonton pilot

New Capabilities

Leading critic of Axon’s Edmonton pilot and its retreat from independent ethics oversight

Edmonton Police became the first North American force to put live facial recognition on officers' body cameras. In December 2025, they switched on a month-long pilot. The AI-enabled bodycams scan the faces of people officers encounter against a watch list of 6,341 individuals with safety flags and 724 people wanted on serious warrants.

Updated 6 days ago