Police records indicate that the facial recognition network was only effective in one case, raising doubts about its reliability and the risk of misidentification.

Civil rights advocates contend that the use of facial recognition technology disproportionately targets marginalized communities, leading to wrongful arrests, with at least eight documented cases in the U.S. linked to facial recognition errors.

City council members have expressed frustration over the NOPD's apparent disregard for existing ordinances, calling for stricter oversight and accountability.

Project NOLA, which manages a network of over 5,000 camera feeds in New Orleans, has more than 200 cameras capable of facial recognition, comparing faces against a database of over 30,000 individuals, including police mugshots.

For two years, the New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) secretly employed facial recognition technology to monitor city streets, raising concerns about potential violations of local laws.

While the NOPD claims the cameras were intended to enhance public safety and assist in crime investigations, the lack of transparency has led to significant public outcry.

This technology enabled the identification of individuals from live footage, making New Orleans the first major U.S. city to use AI for real-time facial recognition in law enforcement.

The incident has sparked broader concerns regarding civil liberties and accountability in the use of AI technologies by law enforcement.

In April 2025, NOPD Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick paused the automatic alerts generated by the facial recognition system after legal compliance concerns were raised.

The ongoing controversy emphasizes the need for clear regulations to balance public safety with individual privacy rights.

Kirkpatrick stated that the department is reviewing the program's compliance and is in discussions to revise the facial recognition ordinance to ensure proper oversight.

Advocates argue that the NOPD's secretive adoption of this surveillance system without adequate safeguards poses a significant threat to privacy and security, drawing parallels to practices in authoritarian regimes.