Latest news with #DouglasMacMillan
Axios
19-05-2025
- Axios
New Orleans may be first U.S. city to use live AI facial recognition camera network
New Orleans police paused its use of a privately run facial recognition camera network last month amid legal and privacy questions from The Washington Post. Why it matters: It's likely the first AI-enhanced live surveillance system to be used in a major American city, the paper says of the investigation. The big picture: New Orleans police have been using information from Project NOLA's 200-plus camera network to find wanted individuals for at least the past two years, Douglas MacMillan and Aaron Schaffer wrote in the story. Project NOLA's facial recognition cameras monitor the streets and send alerts to officers' phones in real time through an app when the system finds a possible match. Project NOLA, a privately run nonprofit, puts in the details about who to look for based on press releases and social media alerts from NOPD and other agencies, Project NOLA founder Bryan Lagarde tells Axios. Case in point: NOPD Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick said the department used the facial recognition technology Friday to identify one of the 10 inmates who escaped from Orleans Justice Center earlier that day. "This is the exact reason why facial recognition technology is so critical," Kirkpatrick said. Project NOLA in a post said Louisiana State Police sent the escapees' information at 10:35am Friday. The cameras found two of the escapees less than 10 minutes later in the French Quarter and pinged authorities, leading to the arrest of one. The group later released the video footage of the two escapees. Between the lines: Project NOLA doesn't have a formal contract with the city, Lagarde tells Axios. Individual officers download the app and sign up for alerts, he says. NOPD officers are "regrettably" no longer participating in the alerts, he told Axios on Monday. However, he said alerts are still going to LSP and federal agencies. Flashback: A 2022 City Council ordinance regulates how the city uses facial recognition software, according to reporting by The Lens. Before then, it wasn't allowed, but police had been using it for years, according to The Lens. Mayor LaToya Cantrell requested to reverse the ban, The Lens said. The other side: The ACLU of Louisiana blasted the technology in 2022 and again this week. "This is the first known time an American police department has relied on live facial recognition technology cameras at scale, and is a radical and dangerous escalation of the power to surveil people as we go about our daily lives," ACLU said in a statement. The organization called on the City Council to launch an investigation into NOPD's use of the system. What's next: Kirkpatrick told the Washington Post the department is doing a formal review of how many officers used the alerts, what arrests were made and whether this violated the ordinance.
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Yahoo
Boston man accused of detonating homemade explosive device near apartment complex
A Boston man is facing criminal charges after authorities say he detonated a homemade explosive device near an apartment complex in Chelsea over the weekend. Douglas MacMillan, 40, of Boston's Dorchester neighborhood, was slated to be arraigned Wednesday in Chelsea District Court on charges of possession of an incendiary device and malicious explosion, according to the Chelsea Police Department. Local and state law enforcement officials arrested MacMillan on Sunday following a 'deliberate explosion' in the area of the Chelsea Place Apartments at 1016 Revere Beach Parkway, police said. Investigators allege that MacMillan 'purposefully ignited' and left the device to explode on a residential walkway, 'causing a significant public disturbance.' There were no reported injuries. 'This arrest is a direct result of outstanding collaboration between the Chelsea Police Department, the Chelsea Fire Department, and the Massachusetts State Police Fire and Explosion Investigation Unit,' Chelsea Police Chief Keith Houghton said in a statement. 'Their professionalism and rapid response ensured this individual was taken into custody swiftly. At a time when our region is preparing for major events like the Boston Marathon and Chelsea's own 250th celebration, it's critical that a clear message is sent — acts of this nature will be met with decisive enforcement.' Massachusetts State Police troopers assigned to the State Fire Marshals Office assisted Chelsea with the emergency response. An investigation is ongoing. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW
