Edmonton police first to to test facial recognition body cams from Axon

Police in Edmonton, Alberta are launching a Proof of Concept to test facial recognition-enabled Body Worn Video (BWV) cameras.

A release from the Edmonton Police Service (EPS) says the limited trial will assess the feasibility and functionality of technology provided by Axon Enterprise, the U.S. company that began making Taser electroshock weapons but has since pivoted to body cams and other law enforcement tech. EPS will be the first police service in the world to test Axon’s facial recognition BWV cameras. (A trio of Ontario forces uses tech from Idemia.)

The pilot kicks off today, and will see up to 50 police officers equipped with facial recognition-enabled BWV cameras for the month of December. EPS says it aims to “test the technology’s ability to work with our database to make officers aware of individuals with safety flags and cautions from previous interactions.”

Like other facial recognition systems deployed for law enforcement, the system compares footage from the field with a database of police mugshots. And like other police forces, Edmonton’s thinks it will be helpful in assisting officers in preventing crime.

“As we focus on continuous improvement around enhancing officer situational awareness and public and officer safety, we are pleased to be the first police service in the world to test Axon’s facial recognition technology through the use of Body-Worn Video cameras,” says Acting Superintendent Kurt Martin with the EPS’ Information and Analytics Division. “We are hopeful that upon successful testing, it can be yet another tool in our toolbox to assist us in our efforts to keep our communities and officers safe. This technology will not replace the human component of investigative work.”

Axios’ facial recognition cameras run automatically and with no intervention from officers. They won’t provide alerts to officers while on duty, but will log footage for review by specialists to see if the biometric hardware works how it’s intended to.

In effect, this is a technical trial run of the equipment and pipeline, rather than an evaluation of how it would be used by officers in practice.

If the EPS likes what it sees, it will proceed with more tests in 2026.

The Edmonton Police Service has submitted a Privacy Impact Assessment to Alberta’s Information and Privacy Commissioner to make sure the facial recognition proof of concept from Axon is fair and respects privacy law.

The Scottsdale, Arizona-based company’s stock has nosedived by nearly 30 percent over the last month.

Article Topics

Alberta  |  Axon  |  biometrics  |  body cam  |  Canada  |  Edmonton police  |  facial recognition  |  law enforcement