Not the first article about this kind of stuff. Police departments can do whatever they want to obtain leads (as long as it is legal (Gray area)). I will be worried when they will start using technology instead of judges.
>From now on, whenever a computer crime is suspected I'll make sure to forward your name as a lead on
>the off-chance that you had anything to do with the crime.
Policing start from any leads available, not evidences. Evidences are used in a court of law.
<The technology provides leads for investigators, but ultimately identifying suspects is a human-based decision-making process, not a computer-based one.>
It does provide leads to police officers, which is a great tool. Many criminals are recidivists and are already existing in the database.
Many police officers know their 'clientele' very well by face and name, so they can run checks on the computer anytime they want as long as it is justified. I don't see anything in using a automated way of doing it by picture.