When police arrested the shooting suspect at the Capital Gazette newspaper office in Annapolis, Maryland, he had no identification on him and would not tell police his name.
A fingerprint scanner proved dysfunctional, so police turned to facial recognition software.
Police ran the man’s photo through the Maryland Image Repository System (MIRS), which matched it against tens of millions of photos from state driver’s licenses, offender photos and an FBI mug shot database. Within minutes, the software had a match: 38-year-old Jarrod Ramos.
Facial recognition technology is a type of biometry that uses unique markers or traits to identify someone. Law enforcement's use of the technology is increasing.
Police in Chula Vista are carrying mobile devices in the field that look a lot like iPads. They use the devices to capture photos of suspects they stop on the street to verify their identity.
However, critics say this advanced technology is being used without any oversight or transparency.
"At least Chula Vista PD lets people know they're using it," said Victor Torres, a civil liberties advocate. "Who else is using it that doesn't let people know and what records are they accessing and keeping? We don't know."
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A 2016 GOA report obtained by the Electronic Frontiers Foundation (EEF) found the FBI's database contains 400 million photos in it.
The EFF, a nonprofit aimed at defending civil liberties in the digital world, reports the collection and use of photos for facial recognition is likely to expand.
In a February 2018 report entitled "Face Off" the organization found surveillance cameras can provide real-time face scanning and identification capabilities.
Law enforcement organizations are also looking at using body-worn cameras to collect facial characteristics of people they contact, even those who may have called the police into their home to report a crime.
In Chula Vista on Friday, some people said they weren't worried about the technology and trusted police to use it correctly.
"If this has helped police get criminals behind bars, then I'm for it," Antonio Medina said. "It kinda seems like if you're not committing a crime, then you don't have anything to worry about."
Still, Torres said the technology and how police use it needs some oversight.
One suggestion, he said is a notification if your face is in the database.
