Articles about law enforcement

Port of Seattle plans to use tech to target waiting drivers who park on side of roadway at airport

The Port of Seattle plans to implement technology that it hopes will deter drivers at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) from… Read More

Internal memo: Don’t use AI for police reports, prosecutor tells Seattle-area law enforcement

Citing the potential for AI hallucinations and other unintended errors, the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office told Seattle-area law enforcement… Read More

Brinc unveils new 911 response drone, says it can handle 25% of calls without police officers

Brinc announced a new public safety drone designed to fly ahead of police in response to 911 calls to quickly… Read More

In fight against fentanyl and other drugs, police departments deploy handheld narcotics analyzer

The Redmond (Wash.) Police Department is deploying a new tool in its fight against illicit drugs. The agency announced Tuesday… Read More

Bellevue Police Dept. adding body cameras for first time, and upgrading Taser technology

The Bellevue (Wash.) Police Dept. is adding body-worn cameras on patrol officers for the first time in an effort to… Read More

Ring ends feature that let police ask users for videos via Neighbors app

Police and other public safety agencies will no longer be able to request and receive videos from users of Amazon’s… Read More

Phone scam targets Seattle-area residents with callers posing as law enforcement

The King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office is warning residents of the Seattle area about a phone scam in which callers… Read More

How technology is trying to address bias in policing — and why experts say it won’t be enough

For the past few months, Axon has been reviewing its products and internal policies with an eye toward racial equity,… Read More

Amazon disavows Mississippi police program that plans to use Ring cameras for real-time surveillance

Amazon is distancing itself from a pilot program launched by police in Jackson, Miss., that will use residents’ doorbell cameras… Read More

Seattle tech and business leaders form racial justice coalition, demand police reforms

Hundreds of Seattle-area business and technology leaders formed a coalition this week to push for racial equity at their companies… Read More

Documents reveal Microsoft pitched facial recognition tech to drug enforcement feds

Microsoft has long cast itself as a moral authority on facial recognition, calling for federal regulation of the technology and… Read More

Microsoft promises not to sell facial recognition tech to police before Congress passes regulations

Microsoft pledged not to sell facial recognition software to police on Thursday, following similar announcements from Amazon and IBM that… Read More

Is Amazon’s facial recognition moratorium a victory for police reformers or just good PR?

Amazon’s surprise reversal on selling facial recognition software to police this week helped the company earn some goodwill at a… Read More

Seattle police will use body cameras during protests under new policy

The Seattle Police Department said Wednesday that officers will be ordered to turn on their body-worn cameras during protests in… Read More

Amazon bans police use of its Rekognition facial recognition software for one year amid protests

Amazon will ban police use of its facial recognition software for one year, in an abrupt reversal that shows how… Read More

Hundreds of Microsoft employees urge company to cut ties with Seattle PD, call for mayor’s resignation

More than 250 Microsoft employees sent an email urging company leadership to take action in response to nationwide protests for… Read More

Seattle will order police to turn on body cameras during protests despite privacy concerns

Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan plans to issue an executive order Monday requiring police to turn on their body cameras during… Read More

Podcast

As protests spread across the country, mobile video creates mosaic of violence and tool for change

At Seattle’s Cal Anderson Park on Thursday afternoon, as the sixth day of protests against police violence stretched into the… Read More

Axon adds Seattle business leader Adriane Brown to board of directors

Seattle venture capital investor and business leader Adriane Brown last week joined the board of directors for Axon, a company… Read More

Axon rolls out police body cameras with live-streaming capability

Police officers equipped with Axon’s next-generation body camera will be able to automatically live-stream shooting incidents using technology similar to… Read More

Amazon defends Ring’s relationship with police as U.S. senator resurfaces privacy concerns

Amazon is attempting to set the record straight on Ring, the security camera company that the tech giant acquired in… Read More

Microsoft taps Eric Holder to audit Israeli partner in demonstration of tech’s struggle to self-regulate

Microsoft’s decision to retain former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder to investigate how one of its partner companies uses facial… Read More

Axon to add automatic license plate readers to police car systems

Axon, the police tech company formerly known as Taser, will add automatic license plate readers to its cop car dashboards.… Read More

Tech industry continues push to shape federal facial recognition laws

Tech companies developing facial recognition software want to write the rules that will govern the controversial technology. A coalition of… Read More

Microsoft vows to keep fighting gag orders on U.S. government surveillance of customers despite legal setback

For years, Microsoft has been going to bat with the government over gag orders that prevent the cloud provider from… Read More

Amazon takes heat from senator over Ring’s ‘troubling’ relationship with police

News reports detailing the relationship between Amazon-owned Ring and police departments are raising eyebrows in Washington D.C. and at least… Read More

Amazon’s doorbell camera company Ring touts its work with 400 police agencies as privacy advocates sound alarm

Is Ring’s collaboration with police departments a public benefit or a privacy concern? That’s the issue raised by an announcement… Read More

Civil rights activists up in arms over Amazon update adding fear detection to facial recognition tech

Amazon’s latest update to its Rekognition software is renewing an outcry from civil rights groups over facial recognition technology. Amazon… Read More

Police body camera maker Axon bans facial recognition tech over ‘serious concerns’ about bias

Axon is banning facial recognition technology from the products it develops for law enforcement agencies because of “serious concerns” about… Read More

Shareholders reject efforts to rein in Amazon’s sale of facial recognition tech to law enforcement

Amazon will continue to sell its facial recognition technology to law enforcement agencies without oversight after two shareholder resolutions were… Read More