Policy Text
FACIAL RECOGNITION SYSTEM (FRS)
EFFECTIVE DATE: 07/16/2023 STANDARD NO. 7-102 DATE: 07/16/2023
REPLACES: N/A
OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this Standard Operating Procedure is to establish guidelines for
using Facial Recognition System (FRS) technology at the Homestead Police
Department.
POLICY: It is the policy of the Homestead Police Department (HPD) to provide procedures
for the use of the Facial Recognition System (FRS).
SCOPE: All sworn personnel of this Department shall be governed by the procedures set
forth below.
I. BACKGROUND:
A. In 2002 the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO) implemented facial recognition (FR)
as a biometric tool used to aid in identifying or verifying the identity of individuals as part
of the law enforcement mission. The agency established and hosts one of the largest
collaborative facial recognition systems (FRS) in Florida and allows access to authorized
law enforcement agencies. Facial Recognition is utilized in the Department of Detention
and Corrections (DDC) as part of the booking process. Facial recognition search
capabilities are shared with other law enforcement users as well as partner agencies
who actively contribute facial images to the database for law enforcement purposes only.
The Face, Analysis, Comparison, and Examination System Next (FACESNXT) is hosted
through FDLE’s CJNET and access is only granted to authorized agencies. Authorized
agencies are those that have submitted formal requests, executed a user agreement
memorandum of understanding, and have approved standard operating procedures
regarding the use of facial recognition technology. New agencies seeking access to
FACESNXT shall submit their request to frnet@pcsonet.com.
B. The Homestead Police Department (HPD) has submitted a formal request and executed
a user agreement Memorandum of Understanding with PCSO. The Homestead Police
Department agrees that failure to submit their written directive within the 90 day period
is a breach of this agreement and will result in immediate termination of HPD’s use of the
FACESNXT system.
C. NOTE: FRS is a generic term for Facial Recognition System, Pinellas County Sheriff’s
Office FRS systems is named FACESNXT which is specific to their facial recognition
system. HPD policy will refer to the Facial Recognition System with the generic term
FRS.
D. A Facial Recognition System (FRS) is to be considered an investigative tool. Information
found through a FRS is not probable cause to arrest, and any law enforcement action
taken based on a submission to the FRS shall be based on the member’s own identity
determination and not solely the results of the FRS search.
Facial Recognition System (FRS) - SOP# 102
II. DEFINITIONS:
A. Biometrics – Distinctive and measurable human characteristics that can be used to
identify people apart from demographic data like name and date of birth. Fingerprints and
facial features are examples of commonly used biometrics. Since biometrics are unique
to individuals, they are more reliable in verifying identity than knowledge based methods.
B. Candidate List – A rank-ordered list generated from a facial recognition search.
C. Enroll – The act of capturing a facial image, creating a template and entering the
template into a facial recognition gallery.
D. Facial Identification – A manual examination of the differences and similarities between
facial images or between a live subject and facial images for the purpose of determining
if they represent the same person (FISWG).
E. Facial Recognition – The automated searching of a facial image (probe) against a
known collection resulting in a list of candidates ranked by computer-evaluated similarity
score. This is commonly referred to as a one-to-many comparison (FISWG).
F. Facial Verification – The automated comparison of a facial image to a known
standalone biometric sample, resulting in a computer-evaluated similarity score. This is
commonly referred to as a 1:1 comparison. Also, the process of authenticating a
person’s asserted identity by comparing two image templates to answer the question,
“Are these two images the same person?”.
G. Gallery – The FR system's database, which typically contains all known-person
templates.
H. Partnering Agency – An agency that actively contributes facial data to the Sheriff’s
Office FRS or whose authorized members conduct searches within the FRS.