Facial Recognition Systems (Boston Police Department)

To Whom It May Concern:

Pursuant to the Massachusetts Public Records Law, M.G.L. c.66, §10, I hereby request the following records:

Facial recognition systems are increasingly utilized by law enforcement agencies. This allows officers to quickly identify persons of interest through the use of an extensive database and a tool such as FaceFirst.

I would like for this request:

-any contractual documents including purchase orders, delivery orders, bids, quotes, RFPs, responses to RFPs, invoices and contracts with facial recognition companies like FaceFirst Inc., Face Searcher by Allevate Limited, Face-VACS by Cognitec Systems GmbH, First Line Facial Recognition by Blue Line Technology, any products by Animetrics, SCRAM remote breath by Alcohol Monitoring Systems, or MegaMatcher by Neurotechnology. Other systems may also be used, such as the system developed by the FBI.

-any policies or guidelines about the use of facial recognition technology

-any grant applications or reports to any oversight bodies

-The total number of individuals who have been identified through the use of facial recognition systems over the last three years

I also request that, if appropriate, fees be waived as we believe this request is in the public interest, as suggested but not stipulated by the recommendations of the Massachusetts Supervisor of Public Records. The requested documents will be made available to the general public free of charge as part of the public information service at MuckRock.com, processed by a representative of the news media/press and is made in the process of news gathering and not for commercial usage.

I expect the request to be filled in an accessible format, including for screen readers, which provide text-to-speech for persons unable to read print. Files that are not accessible to screen readers include, for example, .pdf image files as well as physical documents.

In the event that there are fees, I would be grateful if you would inform me of the total charges in advance of fulfilling my request. I would prefer the request filled electronically, by e-mail attachment if available or CD-ROM if not.

Thank you in advance for your anticipated cooperation in this matter. I look forward to receiving your response to this request within 10 business days, as the statute requires.

Sincerely,

Curtis Waltman