Mayor Domenic J. Sarno states, “’With the advent of our Springfield Police Department utilizing body worn cameras and our newly created and thriving Real Time Crime Analysis Division, why would the City Council consider taking away such a valuable option that can take and keep violent repeat criminal offenders, such as murderers, rapists, gun toting drug dealers and gangbangers off our streets, out of our neighborhoods and bring justice to the affected families and/or proactively help deter and prevent crime from happening?!’ My understanding is that City Councilor Orlando Ramos and our City Council is going to take up an ordinance to ban the use of facial recognition technology. As reported today in The Republican Newspaper by MassLive reporter Douglas Hook – ‘facial recognition has been credited with reducing crime in some instances with a report last month that the New York City Police were able to track down a rapist within 24 hours.’… ‘Chances are that this wouldn’t have been solved,’ said Eugene O’Donnell, a professor at John Jay College and a former NYPD Officer to the New York Post. ‘It’s not when it’s solved – it’s if.’”
Mayor Sarno states, “Public safety has always been my number one priority and always will be. Any tool that can be helpful to our war on crime, we certainly should take advantage of. If Councilor Ramos and the City Council do pursue this ordinance, in the name of public safety, I will veto it.”