Montreal police deploy AI-powered cameras, sparking privacy and oversight debate

The SPVM quietly introduced a Cloudrunner CR-H2 camera from Montreal-based Genetec on a lamp post along Henri-Bourassa Boulevard, a device that can read licence plates and log colour, make and model of vehicles. Following a Radio-Canada report, the camera was removed on Wednesday, with spokesperson Marc-Antoine Bélanger saying the action protected ongoing investigations. Police chief Fady Dagher initially claimed ignorance of the unit before confirming its use against armed violence and vehicle theft.

Civil-rights advocate Dominique Peschard of the Ligue des droits et libertés criticized the lack of public disclosure and called for stronger oversight to protect Charter rights. The department also employs Rank One Computing’s iMotion ROC AI software for video analysis but denies using its facial-recognition features, asserting the system runs on a closed offline network. An internal privacy impact assessment acknowledges risks to innocent by-standers and potential discrimination, though the software is configured to search for objects rather than personal traits. Genetec’s vice-president Andrew Elvish defended the technology as privacy-respectful, emphasizing a community trade-off between safety and data collection.