Rio police use facial recognition to aid 500 arrests during Carnival
Rio de Janeiro's military police deployed a facial recognition system in December 2024 and reported that it aided in 500 arrests during Carnival 2025, identifying 12 people with outstanding warrants. The system integrates over 260,000 cameras across public spaces throughout the state.
What happened
The Polícia Militar do Rio deployed a facial recognition system in December 2024 and used it during Carnival 2025 to identify and assist in arrests. Between February 28 and March 4, 2025, the system identified 12 people with outstanding arrest warrants, and contributed to a total of 500 arrests.
The facial recognition software is integrated with over 260,000 cameras and alarms installed in public areas across Rio de Janeiro state, including cameras in areas of samba school parades, street blocks, beaches, tourist sites, highways and public transport stations. The system also connects 13,000 portable body cameras used by military police and cameras in helicopters and drones.
Governance controls
The Secretaria de Estado de Polícia Militar stated that the facial recognition technology is part of special planning for Carnival security, with the central core of the corporation's technology area monitoring public areas. Colonel Marcelo de Menezes Nogueira, Secretary of Military Police, stated that the government has invested heavily in technology for security and that no major public gathering area is without monitoring.
Classification
Sources and evidence
Sources not yet published
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