Investigation Into UCLA Campus Violence Could Involve Facial Recognition

The University of California has initiated an independent investigation into the recent violence on its campus.

The investigation is being led by 21st Century Policing Solutions, a law enforcement consulting firm, and aims to identify those responsible for the disruption and clashes last week between pro-Palestinian and counter-demonstrators.

Retired LAPD captain Paul Vernon suggests that facial recognition technology could be a key tool in this investigation. Investigators have access to a vast amount of image data and could cross-reference it with publicly available sources to identify potential suspects.

“You can take a photo of you right now, and I can take that clip and drop it onto google image. And it will probably tell me who you are,” Vernon told local media.

The potential use of facial recognition adds another dimension to the investigation. And if the FBI were to become involved, the federal agency would have the capacity to obtain cellphone data to corroborate the presence of individuals at the scene against the information gleaned from the use of facial recognition.

However, experts caution that securing convictions may be complex due to potential self-defense claims and challenges in linking specific injuries to individuals.

“Primarily you’re only going after those involved in a felony. That would be the ones related to the most serious injury,” Vernon said. “Now the question is…. how many of them have a defense of self-defense?”

The recent detainment of over 40 individuals, including a journalist, has raised questions about police conduct and the investigation’s scope. The university leadership has yet to provide detailed explanations for these actions.

Source: NBC Los Angeles

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May 8, 2024 — by Tony Bitzionis