Alerj approves CPI’s final report on photographic recognition at police stations | Rio de Janeiro

Published 07/05/2024 19:28 | Updated 05/07/2024 19:29

According to the Public Defender’s Office, in Rio, people spend an average of one year and two months unjustly imprisoned due to errors in using this type of identification. In the majority of the cases analyzed (89%), the accusation was the crime of robbery and the defendants were held provisionally in prison in 84% of the cases.

For the commission’s rapporteur, deputy Márcio Gualberto (PL), the report contains recent resolutions from the National Council of Justice (CNJ) that are already being applied by some institutions. “We are recommending that police forces speed up the implementation of these measures, but without losing quality. We wrote a strictly technical report, trying to remedy the problems and failures that occurred. This is what we seek and we understand that this is the desire of the entire society”, he commented.

In his report, Gualberto presented a series of recommendations to be adopted by the State Government and the State Secretariat of Civil Police (PCERJ). According to the rapporteur, to carry out the procedure for identifying people through photography in a legally safe manner, police stations need the appropriate equipment. In view of this, it was recommended that the State Government provide all police stations with the adoption of color printers, audio and video capture equipment and storage devices. An environment for preparatory procedures and reconnaissance free from external interference and with adequate lighting is also recommended.

The deputy also highlighted that the Civil Police Secretariat is in the final phase of preparing and approving an updated protocol for photographic recognition, based on scientific parameters that minimize the likelihood of errors. Among the recommendations to the agency is that the use of photographs taken from social networks should only be done when there is no other image of the suspect and when it is not possible to call him to the police station. Another guideline is that the Civil Police Academy has an exclusive subject so that new police officers, still in their training period, acquire knowledge of correct facial recognition practices.

State leads in number of errors

During the meeting, the president of the CPI, deputy Renata Souza (PSol), presented studies by the Public Defender’s Office of the State of Rio that indicate that the state has the highest number of errors in facial recognition. Furthermore, the institution points out that, in Rio, people spend an average of one year and two months unjustly imprisoned due to errors in using this type of identification. In the majority of the cases analyzed (89%), the accusation was the crime of robbery and the defendants were held provisionally in prison in 84% of the cases.

“Our proposals will be forwarded to all institutions that we contacted throughout the commission process, such as the State Public Prosecutor’s Office, the National Council of Justice, the Public Defender’s Office, the State Government, and the Civil and Military Police. We will also present a Bill regarding the State’s reparation for the mistake in these photographic recognitions and other improvements with regard to the reception of these victims”, said the parliamentarian.

The vice-president of the CPI, deputy Munir Neto (PSD), and deputies Júlio Rocha (Agir), Verônica Lima (PT), Marcelo Dino (União) and Dani Balbi (PCdoB) were present at the meeting, remotely.