New Orleans Police Used AI Facial Recognition Surveillance Violating Ordinance

The New Orleans Police Department secretly used AI-powered facial recognition technology for real-time surveillance and tracking of individuals across the city, relying on a private network of over 200 cameras managed by Project NOLA. This program, active from early 2023 until its suspension in April 2025, automatically sent alerts to officers' mobile devices when potential matches against a list of wanted suspects were detected, enabling rapid identification and arrests. However, this use likely violated a 2022 city ordinance that restricts facial recognition to targeted searches for violent crime suspects and prohibits generalized surveillance, raising significant privacy and legal concerns. Critics highlight the technology's documented biases, including higher misidentification rates for dark-skinned women and transgender individuals, as well as the lack of transparency and oversight in deploying the system. Despite the controversy and the program's pause, some officials argue that facial recognition remains a valuable tool for law enforcement. The New Orleans Police Superintendent has initiated a formal investigation, acknowledging that the automated alerts may not have complied with municipal rules.