Following the traffic police, detectives are getting Glass

Oct 2, 2014 14:30 GMT  ·  By

We all know just how luxurious life in Dubai is and it’s pretty easy to tell that when the police officers drive Lamborghini Aventadors and Bugati Veyrons just to be able to catch up with speedy drivers.

Well, if a few months ago news came that the traffic police was trying out Google Glass, it looks like now it’s the turn of the detectives to get the new gear.

7 Days in Dubai reports that the local police plans to issue detectives the hands-free eyewear to fight crime with the help of facial recognition technology. The devices would be connected to a database of wanted people at all times, thanks to special software.

Then, once the device recognizes a suspect based on his or her face print, the officer is alerted through the gadget, making it possible for that individual to be apprehended.

The first phase of the project has already made the rounds a while back, indicating that traffic police would be wearing Google Glass to capture and upload photos of traffic violators, as well as to identify wanted cars based on the number plates.

“We at Dubai Police always try to adopt what is new in the market and we like to stay up to date,” said Col Al Razooqi, general director of smart services at Dubai Police.

The second phase would see even more dangerous people be sent to jail by equipping detectives with the gadget too.

The New York Police Department is also testing out Google Glass to see how it would fit in its patrolling routines as a first step.

Cutting no expenses when it comes to Dubai’s image

The move from the Dubai police falls in line with just about everything the authorities do to keep the image of Dubai up. Last year, for instance, $400,000 Lamborghini sports cars were bought for the police so they could track suspects, but also for show.

In comparison, Google’s $1,500 devices seem to be extra cheap, and for the price of a single car they could probably equip over 250 police officers. Considering this is a bulk order, however, Google may have cut down on the price at least a little bit, so the number of purchased devices could be a lot higher.

Google Glass was launched last year and it was originally available via invitation only. Now, it is available not only in the United States, but also in the United Kingdom. The only issue is the fact that this is still the beta version of the device.