Halton Police spending over $1M on facial recognition technology

The Halton Police Board has awarded a $1.18-million contract for facial recognition technology. 

The limited tender contract is with Idemia Identity and Security Canada, whose system has been in use with Peel and York Region police since May 2024. 

Deputy Chief Jeff Hill said police will only use images legally obtained through the course of an investigation to compare with mugshots in their system. Hill said even in cases where matches are identified, they will be used as investigative leads.

“It doesn’t mean if we identify someone, you are automatically guilty,” he said. “There will be a whole background investigative component that (police) will have to do to corroborate that information.”

Using the same system as the two neighbouring police services will allow Halton to partner with Peel and York to expand the number of available photos by allowing each other access to their databases.

Halton Police Chief Stephen Tanner said ideally, the police would have access to national databases, which is something he's been pushing for as the co-chair of the National Police Services National Advisory Committee. 

“It’s ridiculous that we’re not able to search the national database of all bank robbers when we have a photo of a bank robber,” he said. 

It will cost $362,764 to install and maintain the system in the first year and $180,643 annually to maintain it for each of the next four years.

Hill said the system will help Halton Police achieve two of its objectives – improving the service’s clearance rate (cases solved), and reducing the per capita property crime rate.

“Speaking to our counterparts in Peel, they’ve had great success,” Hill said. 

“It really is essential,” Tanner added. “I think the public already assumes we are able to do this.”

Tanner said with York and Peel leading the way, any security factors that Halton would have had with the system have already been addressed. Hill said Halton is also working with Peel and York to establish policies around the use of the system.

“We’re very conscious, we don’t want to breach any privacy issues or have any mistakes,” he said. “If we all do it the same and are very strict with the technology and how we implement it, we’ll have basically the same product among the three precincts.”

Bill Payne, director of information technology for Halton Police, said the service plans to engage with the public to answer questions and explain the impacts of the technology.