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A4 U.S. NEWS
Friday 11 March 2022
Virginia lawmakers OK lifting ban on facial technology use

By DENISE LAVOIE lance camera footage of
Associated Press a 2018 theft inside a watch
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Last store.
year, Virginia lawmakers “When he said he didn’t do
passed one of the most re- it, the officer said, ‘Well, the
strictive bans in the country computer said you did,’ “
on the use of facial recog- Price said.
nition technology, barring “Why should we allow law
local police departments enforcement to use it?” she
and campus police from said.
purchasing or using the The ban applied to local
technology unless explicitly and campus police de-
authorized by the legisla- partments, but not to Vir-
ture. ginia State Police. State
On Thursday, just eight police use the Centralized
months after the measure Criminal Image System,
took effect, lawmakers which allows them to com-
approved a bill to lift the pare an unknown image
blanket ban. The legislation of a person to a database
would allow police agen- of mug shots of people
cies to use the technology who have been arrested.
in certain circumstances, The software returns im-
including to help identify ages that have a similarity
an individual when they Virginia State Sen. Ryan McDougle, R-Hanover, listens to debate during the Senate session at the to the subject in question,
have reasonable suspi- Capitol Thursday March 10, 2022, in Richmond, Va. Associated Press but police investigators are
cion that the person com- required to confirm the of-
mitted a crime. Under the tice demonstrations in 2021 crime more efficiently,” lican Sen. Ryan McDougle. ficial identification.
bill, facial recognition also and used those to make ar- said Surovell. “It is not right, it is not as re- Several lawmakers said the
could be used for a variety rests in some cases. Some lawmakers were ve- strictive as it should be,” he new legislation includes
of other uses, including to Several lawmakers said hemently opposed to end- said. “guardrails” to ensure that
help identify crime victims they viewed the ban ing the ban, citing con- Democratic Del. Marcia police have to follow clear
or witnesses, sex trafficking passed last year as a tem- cerns about privacy, civil “Cia” Price cited the case rules on when and how the
victims and unidentified porary measure to allow rights violations and stud- of Robert Williams, a Black technology can be used.
bodies in morgues. the legislature to evaluate ies that found higher error man who was arrested by Republican Del. Glenn Da-
The legislation explicitly facial recognition technol- rates for facial recognition Detroit police when facial vis said police already rou-
bars the use of facial rec- ogy. Democratic Sen. Scott software used to identify recognition technology tinely use publicly available
ognition for surveillance Surovell, whose bill was ap- people of color. mistakenly identified him as photos on social media
or monitoring. Cities and proved Thursday, said the “This technology can be a shoplifting suspect. Wil- sites during investigations.
states around the country technology — when used very important to law en- liams said his Michigan driv- “All we’re doing here is
moved to limit its use af- with appropriate restric- forcement for different er’s license photo — kept instead of having law en-
ter some law enforcement tions — can be an impor- types of investigatory situ- in a statewide image re- forcement officers sit there
agencies applied facial tant investigatory tool for ations, but it can also be pository — was incorrectly and look through hundreds
recognition technology to police. used for a tremendous flagged as a likely match to of photos to try to make
images taken from street “I think it will help police not amount of bad things ... is the suspect. Investigators that match, we use this
cameras during racial jus- only solve, but prosecute is dangerous,” said Repub- had scanned grainy surveil- technology,” Davis said.q

1st NY pot sales permits will go to

people with convictions

retail cannabis licenses The regulations will get the populous state after Cali-
awarded by the state in an green light from the state fornia to legalize possession
effort to redress the inequi- cannabis control board and use of marijuana for
ties of a justice system that later that day, said Office adults over age 21.
locked up a disproportion- of Cannabis Management Social equity emerged as
ate number of people of spokesperson Freeman a key theme in marijuana
color for drug crimes. Klopott. legalization in recent years.
Some licenses will go to Convictions must have oc- States where marijuana
nonprofits or businesses curred before March 31, is legal have increasingly
who have a leader linked 2021, when the state’s le- tried in recent years to en-
to a marijuana conviction. galization bill was signed sure there’s a place in the
Priority also will be given to by former Gov. Andrew market for people who
Dried hemp plants are sorted and trimmed at Hepworth Farms in people with a parent, legal Cuomo. were prosecuted because
Milton, N.Y., Monday, April 12, 2021. guardian, child or spouse The plans were first report- of a now-allowed drug. But
Associated Press convicted of a marijuana- ed by The New York Times. the efforts have been slow-
By MARINA VILLENEUVE were casualties of the war related offense. The regulations were post- moving in many states.
Associated Press on drugs, state officials said Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Dem- ed on the state’s website New York “is taking a big
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — The Wednesday. ocrat, is set to announce Wednesday. swing,” said Kassandra
first licenses to sell recre- People with marijuana- the planned regulations for It’s unclear how many re- Frederique, the executive
ational marijuana in New related convictions will get “social equity” applicants tail licenses will be issued in director of the pro-legaliza-
York will go to people who dibs on the first 100 to 200 Thursday. New York, the second-most tion Drug Policy Alliance.q