Gadsden Police Gain In-House Access to Clearview AI Facial Recognition

Quick answer: On Aug. 4, the Gadsden City Council approved an agreement that lets the Gadsden Police Department run Clearview AI facial recognition searches on its own. An officer can upload a photo from a case and compare it against a database the company says holds more than 70 billion images taken from public websites. The results are meant to point detectives toward possible leads. They are not proof of who someone is.

Update, Aug. 20, 2026: GadsdenThrive has since obtained the adopted resolution. It is numbered R-503-26, and it states the arrangement “will be an annual recurring agreement.” First-year funding came from a $15,000 grant from the Etowah County Community Development Committee, District 28. The resolution does not state the contract price, and it does not address what the city pays once that grant is gone. It also authorizes the mayor to execute an agreement, which means the resolution is not the contract. The executed agreement, where the license count, subscription tier and renewal and termination terms would live, has not been made public. GadsdenThrive has requested that agreement and the department’s written policy from Police Chief Lamar Jaggears. For a plain-language explanation of the software itself, see what Clearview AI does, in the company’s own words.

GADSDEN, AL – The Gadsden Police Department now has its own direct line to one of the most debated tools in modern policing.

At its Aug. 4 meeting, the Gadsden City Council approved an agreement with Clearview AI, a company that sells facial recognition search software to police departments and government agencies. The vote moves the department from occasional use of the tool to a standing in-house capability. Approved officers can now run searches themselves.

City officials have said residents should not fear the technology, according to The Anniston Star, which reported the council’s action.

What did the Gadsden City Council approve?

The council signed off on an agreement giving the police department direct access to Clearview’s search platform. Before the vote, the department had used the technology only on a case-by-case basis. Authorized officers can now log in and run searches as part of open investigations.

The technology is not new to Gadsden investigators. Police used Clearview during an investigation into a high-profile incident, and that investigation led to an arrest. Bringing the search in-house is meant to speed up that kind of work. GadsdenThrive has covered several recent local investigations, including a multi-agency drug operation that led to five arrests.

How does Clearview AI work?

An officer starts with what the company calls a probe image. That is simply a photo of a face. It might come from a security camera, a phone or a social media account. The officer uploads that photo, and the software compares it against Clearview’s database.

Clearview says the database holds more than 70 billion images gathered from publicly accessible parts of the internet. The company describes the platform as a way to help federal, state and local agencies identify people and spot connections that traditional police databases would miss.

What the software returns is a set of possible matches, not a conclusion. Clearview’s own published principles tell agencies to judge any possible match for themselves and to back it up with other evidence before acting on it.

What safeguards come with the system?

Clearview says users must enter a case number and a crime type before running a search. That creates a record of who searched, when, and why. Supervisors can review those records later.

Beyond the company’s own rules, local policy decides the rest. In other cities that approved the tool, councils set limits on who may run a search, which kinds of cases qualify, and how a possible match must be reviewed before an officer acts on it.

What is still unknown in Gadsden?

Several basic details have not been made public. The materials posted with the council agenda do not spell out what the city is paying, how many officer licenses are included, or how long the agreement runs.

Gadsden police have also not released a written policy describing who inside the department may run searches, which cases qualify, or how results must be documented. GadsdenThrive is seeking those details from the police department and the city.

Update, Aug. 20: the adopted resolution answers part of this. It establishes that the agreement recurs annually and that a $15,000 District 28 grant funded the first year. It does not state the contract price, the license count, or the term beyond annual recurrence, and it does not reference a written department policy.

How have other cities handled facial recognition?

Gadsden joins a growing list of cities that have voted on the technology at the local level. In Lawton, Oklahoma, the city council approved a written policy first, then let officers begin running searches. El Cerrito, California, limited searches to specific crimes and required a supervisor’s approval. Larger departments, including Dallas, adopted the tool while promising written rules and follow-up reports.

Privacy groups have objected in nearly every case. Their central argument is that the images in the database were collected without the knowledge or permission of the people in them. That means ordinary residents can end up inside a police search tool without ever being asked.

What happens next?

The agreement is approved, so the open questions now are about use and oversight. How often will the department run searches? What kinds of cases will they support? Will the council revisit the issue once a written policy exists?

The vote also lands in the middle of an election season. The same council seats, along with the mayor’s office, go before voters on Aug. 25. Readers can review the races in the GadsdenThrive 2026 Voter’s Guide.

Frequently asked questions

When did Gadsden approve Clearview AI?
The City Council approved the agreement at its meeting on Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2026, under Resolution R-503-26.

Does a Clearview match prove someone’s identity?
No. The company describes results as investigative leads. Agencies are expected to confirm a possible match with other evidence before acting on it.

How big is the Clearview database?
Clearview says it contains more than 70 billion images collected from publicly accessible websites.

Does the Gadsden Police Department have a written policy for using it?
No public policy has been released. GadsdenThrive is seeking that document.

What does the agreement cost the city?
The contract price has not been made public. Updated Aug. 20: the adopted resolution shows a $15,000 grant from the Etowah County Community Development Committee, District 28, funded the first year, and that the agreement recurs annually. The resolution does not state the contract price or the cost in later years.

Does the agreement renew?
Yes. Updated Aug. 20: Resolution R-503-26 states it “will be an annual recurring agreement.”

Sources: City of Gadsden Resolution R-503-26; The Anniston Star; ID Tech Wire; Clearview AI published materials.