Opinion: Surveillance Without Safeguards: Montreal Police Quietly Expand AI Arsenal

The Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM) is aggressively expanding its AI-powered surveillance network, but as CBC News first reported, the rollout is happening in the shadows, far ahead of any meaningful legal guardrails.

**The Cloudrunner Deployment** According to reporting by CBC News, a high-powered camera was recently spotted by a Radio-Canada reporter on a lamp post along Henri-Bourassa Boulevard in the Rivière-des-Prairies neighborhood. The SPVM later confirmed the device was a Cloudrunner CR-H2, manufactured by the Montreal-based company Genetec. While the SPVM initially removed the camera on Wednesday to "preserve our ongoing investigative strategies," the device's capabilities are expansive. CBC News notes that, similar to Flock Safety cameras in the U.S., the Genetec system does more than scan license plates; it captures and stores specific vehicle characteristics, including make, model, and color.

**AI Video Sifting** Beyond street cameras, the SPVM is integrating iMotion ROC AI software, developed by Rank One Computing. SPVM spokesperson Anik de Repentigny told CBC News that this software is used to help investigators sift through massive volumes of video, including footage from 46 marked urban security cameras and private video obtained via warrants or citizen consent. While de Repentigny denied the use of biometric or facial recognition capabilities—stating the software is used to find "targeted known elements" rather than verify identities—the scale of the operation is significant.

**Internal Warnings vs. External Silence** Perhaps most damning is the SPVM's own internal admission. An internal privacy impact assessment from 2023, obtained by CBC News via access-to-information requests, acknowledges that this technology poses risks to civil liberties. The document highlights concerns that innocent people could be subjected to investigation and warns of the possibility of discrimination based on visible social traits. The SPVM claims this risk is mitigated by configuring the software to search for objects, such as a "green bike" or "red coat," rather than ethnic traits.

**A Failure of Leadership** The lack of transparency extends to the top of the chain of command. CBC News reports that Montreal police Chief Fady Dagher initially claimed he had no knowledge of the Cloudrunner device on Wednesday morning. Dagher later clarified his comments, attributing the confusion to being distracted by news regarding alleged racism at a Montréal-Nord police station.

Dominique Peschard of the Ligue des droits et libertés told CBC News that this lack of awareness is "striking." Peschard argued that as investigative techniques become increasingly invasive, there is an urgent need for more oversight to ensure police actions do not infringe on Charter rights.