amazon building

Orlando Police Department Ends Facial Recognition Pilot Program With Amazon

The city was never able to get the software, Rekognition, to consistently work with its video surveillance cameras over the course of 15 months.

After over a year of technical issues and public pushback, the Orlando police department has canceled its pilot program with Amazon, which allowed the city to test the company’s facial recognition software for use in police work.

The two-phase partnership to test the software, known as Rekognition, began in December 2017. Once the first phase ended in June 2018, officials were not sure if they would continue testing but eventually began the second phase in October, according to Orlando Weekly.

That second phase was set to end on July 18, the same day the Weekly reported the demise of the program. In theory, Orlando officials sought to use Rekognition to identify and track suspects in real-time using existing surveillance cameras. Police would be able to upload a photo of a face to the system and receive an alert when the software identified that person in a live surveillance stream.

They deployed the software on four cameras at police headquarters, according to the Weekly. But, despite visits from Amazon employees to City Hall to provide technical help with Rekognition, the city made very little progress on using the software for its intended purpose.

"We haven't even established a stream today. We're talking about more than a year later," Rosa Akhtarkhavari, Orlando's chief information officer, told the Weekly during the second pilot. “We've never gotten to the point to test images.”

Those issues were likely caused by the city’s lack of bandwidth for simultaneous high-definition video surveillance feeds and older cameras that did not have the right video resolution to get clear images of the volunteers participating in the testing.

The height of the cameras, which caught only the tops of the subjects’ heads rather than their faces, also posed a problem, according to the Weekly. Amazon offered to provide its own cameras to the city, but Orlando officials refused.

In a memo to the city council explaining the decision to end the program, the Chief Administrative Office said “the city was not able to dedicate the resources to the pilot to enable us to make any noticeable progress toward completing the needed configuration and testing.”

Orlando was the only city in the United States to publicly disclose that they were testing Rekognition. A sheriff’s office in Oregon is also using a variant of the software to check suspect photographs against a database of images for possible matches. Other cities, including San Francisco and Oakland, have recently voted to ban police use of facial recognition software, which researchers say is much less accurate when it comes to correctly identifying people of color and women.

Read more: Opposition to Government Use of Facial Recognition Technology Grows in Detroit

Matt Cagle, an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union, told The Verge that the failed pilot “demonstrates why surveillance decisions should be made by the public” and not corporations working with police officials. The ACLU was the first to discover the Orlando program through public records.

“Congratulations to the Orlando Police Department for finally figuring out what we long warned—Amazon’s surveillance technology doesn’t work and is a threat to our privacy and civil liberties,” Cagle said.

There is currently no legislation on the books in Florida regulating the use of facial recognition software, and Congress has yet to pass any federal regulations on the issue. For its part, the memo said Orlando would keep an open mind to other technological innovations, but that the city has “no immediate plans regarding future pilots to explore this type of facial recognition technology.”

About the Author

Haley Samsel is an Associate Content Editor for the Infrastructure Solutions Group at 1105 Media.

Featured

  • The Business Case for Video Analytics: Understanding the Real ROI

    For security professionals who may be hesitant to invest in video analytics, now's the time to reconsider. In a newly released Omdia report commissioned by BriefCam (now Milestone Systems), the research firm uncovered a compelling story: more than 85% of North American and European organizations that use video analytics achieve a return on investment within just one year. The study, which surveyed 140 end users across multiple industries, demonstrates that security technology is no longer just for security — it's a cross-organizational tool that delivers measurable business value far beyond traditional safety applications. Read Now

  • Survey: 54% of Organizations Cite Technical Debt as Top Hurdle to Identity System Modernization

    Modernizing identity systems is proving difficult for organizations due to two key challenges: decades of accumulated Identity and Access Management (IAM) technical debt and the complexity of managing access across multiple identity providers (IDPs). These findings come from the new Strata Identity-commissioned report, State of Multi-Cloud Identity: Insights and Trends for 2025. The report, based on survey data from the Cloud Security Alliance (CSA), highlights trends and challenges in securing cloud environments. The CSA is the world’s leading organization dedicated to defining standards, certifications, and best practices to help ensure a secure cloud computing environment. Read Now

  • Study: Only 35 Percent of Companies Include Cybersecurity Teams When Implementing AI

    Only 35 percent of cybersecurity professionals or teams are involved in the development of policy governing the use of AI technology in their enterprise, and nearly half (45 percent) report no involvement in the development, onboarding, or implementation of AI solutions, according to the recently released 2024 State of Cybersecurity survey report from ISACA, a global professional association advancing trust in technology. Read Now

  • New Report Series Highlights E-Commerce Threats, Fraud Against Retailers

    Trustwave, a cybersecurity and managed security services provider, recently released a series of reports detailing the threats facing the retail sector, marking the second year of its ongoing research into these critical security issues. Read Now

Featured Cybersecurity

Webinars

New Products

  • Camden CM-221 Series Switches

    Camden CM-221 Series Switches

    Camden Door Controls is pleased to announce that, in response to soaring customer demand, it has expanded its range of ValueWave™ no-touch switches to include a narrow (slimline) version with manual override. This override button is designed to provide additional assurance that the request to exit switch will open a door, even if the no-touch sensor fails to operate. This new slimline switch also features a heavy gauge stainless steel faceplate, a red/green illuminated light ring, and is IP65 rated, making it ideal for indoor or outdoor use as part of an automatic door or access control system. ValueWave™ no-touch switches are designed for easy installation and trouble-free service in high traffic applications. In addition to this narrow version, the CM-221 & CM-222 Series switches are available in a range of other models with single and double gang heavy-gauge stainless steel faceplates and include illuminated light rings. 3

  • Mobile Safe Shield

    Mobile Safe Shield

    SafeWood Designs, Inc., a manufacturer of patented bullet resistant products, is excited to announce the launch of the Mobile Safe Shield. The Mobile Safe Shield is a moveable bullet resistant shield that provides protection in the event of an assailant and supplies cover in the event of an active shooter. With a heavy-duty steel frame, quality castor wheels, and bullet resistant core, the Mobile Safe Shield is a perfect addition to any guard station, security desks, courthouses, police stations, schools, office spaces and more. The Mobile Safe Shield is incredibly customizable. Bullet resistant materials are available in UL 752 Levels 1 through 8 and include glass, white board, tack board, veneer, and plastic laminate. Flexibility in bullet resistant materials allows for the Mobile Safe Shield to blend more with current interior décor for a seamless design aesthetic. Optional custom paint colors are also available for the steel frame. 3

  • Connect ONE’s powerful cloud-hosted management platform provides the means to tailor lockdowns and emergency mass notifications throughout a facility – while simultaneously alerting occupants to hazards or next steps, like evacuation.

    Connect ONE®

    Connect ONE’s powerful cloud-hosted management platform provides the means to tailor lockdowns and emergency mass notifications throughout a facility – while simultaneously alerting occupants to hazards or next steps, like evacuation. 3