According to a report in the Evansville Courier and Press, Evansville’s police chief, Phil Smith, revealed on Tuesday that a police officer misused powerful facial recognition software for personal reasons over a period of several months. The officer, Michael Eric Dockery, resigned on June 5th after Chief Smith placed him on a 21-day unpaid suspension.
Dockery, a nearly five-year veteran, reportedly violated the terms of service for Clearview AI, a facial recognition software used by the department. This incident has reignited concerns about potential privacy abuses associated with this technology.
Chief Smith emphasized the department’s commitment to responsible use of Clearview AI and outlined new safeguards to prevent future misuse. An internal investigation determined that Dockery’s actions did not constitute a criminal offense.
The Evansville Courier & Press first reported on the department’s use of Clearview AI last year, raising concerns about transparency and potential legal issues.
Clearview AI is a New York-based company that offers one of the world’s most comprehensive facial recognition databases. The company gathers images from various sources, including social media platforms, mugshot repositories, and even payment apps, raising privacy concerns. Law enforcement agencies can leverage Clearview AI to compare images from investigations against this vast database, often without warrants.
The Evansville Police Department has maintained that Clearview AI is a valuable investigative tool, but last year’s report from the Courier & Press revealed that detectives had cited findings from the software in court documents to justify arrests, a practice that has drawn criticism from legal and privacy advocates.
According to Chief Smith, Dockery’s misuse of Clearview AI came to light in March during discussions regarding the renewal of the department’s software licenses. A routine audit revealed an anomaly – an officer with a workload that didn’t justify the exceptionally high number of searches performed through Clearview AI.
Further investigation discovered that Dockery exploited the software’s safety measures. Clearview AI requires law enforcement users to enter a case number before initiating searches. Dockery reportedly used legitimate case numbers from past investigations to disguise searches of individuals entirely unrelated to those cases.
The investigation revealed that Dockery conducted searches on nine individuals between April and December of 2023, none of whom were connected to any official investigations.
Three of the individuals reportedly knew Dockery and had requested he run their photos through the software, a request Smith deemed a violation of the department’s policies. The remaining six individuals were unaware of the searches until contacted by the Evansville Police Department.
Chief Smith assured the community that the department takes responsible use of technology seriously. The internal investigation into Dockery’s actions is closed, and the department has renewed its Clearview AI licenses.
However, a key takeaway from this incident is the implementation of mandatory quarterly audits to monitor software usage and prevent future misuse. Additionally, documents related to these audits are likely to be available for public review upon request, in accordance with Indiana’s Access to Public Records Act.
This incident highlights the ongoing debate surrounding facial recognition technology and the importance of clear regulations and safeguards to prevent potential misuse by law enforcement.
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