Against a backdrop of recent violent fatalities in downtown San Antonio, a private-sector push for security cameras with artificial intelligence capabilities has won the support of Police Chief William McManus.
The details are still being finalized, but city officials are considering asking for at least $200,000 in the San Antonio Police Department's next fiscal year budget for about 10 security cameras that will be installed as part of a one-year pilot program.
They haven't decided whether the surveillance cameras will use facial recognition technology, which is controversial — but McManus says he's skeptical.
SAPD is frequently approached with proposals from companies that sell AI tools for crime-fighting. But department officials have largely shrugged off the sales pitches — until now.
The discussions, which began last September, accelerated with pressure from downtown business owners, many of whom are anxious about what they perceive as rising crime, despite data to the contrary. Among their leaders is Trish DeBerry, CEO of Centro San Antonio, a nonprofit that focuses on revitalizing downtown and supporting local businesses.
McManus has directed police officers downtown to be more visible. But McManus also believes AI technology could help by sending quick alerts of possible crimes to officers, speeding up investigations and deterring criminals — at least the ones who notice security cameras are watching them.
Deputy City Manager María Villagómez, who oversees the police department, also said the cameras could be beneficial.
"Public safety is important, and we have seen an interest from residents in downtown (for SAPD) to be able to do more," Villagómez said. "This could give us another tool in our tool box to provide that protection to the community."
DeBerry believes enabling facial recognition would boost the results.
Facial recognition technology maps facial features in an image or video, comparing those features with an existing image to determine if the face belongs to the same person — similar to the way iPhone's Face ID works. It also can be used to search a database of images for a match.
Both McManus and DeBerry say the cameras would be set up in a couple blocks of downtown. DeBerry said it may be wishful thinking, but she'd love to have it up and running in time for Fiesta in April.
Right now, the city has a data security and technology use policy, in addition to a policy that oversees the "Acceptable Use of Generative AI Tools." Generative AI includes tools that create content like ChatGPT. It doesn't include the use of artificial intelligence tools that have pattern recognition or predictive functions.
For his part, McManus said he's very hesitant about the use of facial recognition.
"As we continue the discussions about the cameras and what their capabilities will be, I'm sure that issue may come up, and we'll talk about it," McManus said. "But right now, I understand the sensitivity about facial recognition and the reported pitfalls of it. That's why I've never been hot in the idea ... It's not something I'm anticipating pushing."
Moving forward, Deputy Chief Jesse Salame said the department will prioritize balancing public safety with privacy and civil rights.
"We will establish clear policies to regulate the use and retention of data, ensuring that any technology we deploy adheres to legal standards and best practices," Salame said in an emailed statement. "These cameras are an additional tool to enhance public safety ... AI is not the primary factor in determining when to dispatch an officer based solely on an alert; the final decision will be made by the human monitoring the camera."
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