Nevada facial recognition project draws scrutiny over privacy, police oversight
Nevada facial recognition project draws scrutiny over privacy, police oversight
Publish Date: 2026-05-26 17:22:00
Source Domain: www.biometricupdate.com
The Sparks, Nevada Police Department is moving forward with a federal grant-funded facial recognition project officials say will help investigators identify suspects in retail theft cases, but which is drawing scrutiny because of its regional structure, use of police image databases, and a recent Reno wrongful arrest lawsuit involving similar technology.
The Sparks City Council approved acceptance of a $16,172.36 grant from the U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ) Office of Justice Programs Bureau of Justice Assistance and administered by the Nevada Department of Public Safety’s Office of Criminal Justice Assistance, which received a $2.1 million block grant from DoJ.
The project is intended to support facial recognition investigative tools, contractual services, and coordination among the Sparks Police Department, Reno Police Department, and the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office through a regional Real-Time Information Center.
The project period runs from April 1 through Aug. 31, 2026, and city staff materials say the software would allow analysts to compare images and video evidence against databases, generate investigative leads, and improve coordination across jurisdictions.
Sparks is not simply buying a stand-alone tool for one police department. The project is structured around shared investigative use by multiple Northern Nevada agencies, which means questions about access, auditing, retention, training, and permissible use will not be confined to Sparks alone.
The software at issue is from Greenville, South Carolina-based DataWorks Plus and will be used by a small number of crime analysts to compare images or video from crime scenes against local police databases.
DataWorks provides mugshot management, booking, biometric identity, rapid ID, and facial comparison tools for police, corrections, and public safety agencies.
Detroit police used DataWorks facial recognition in cases that produced several widely reported wrongful arrests. In one…
