Argentinian fugitive from justice is arrested with facial recognition system in RJ

Police officers from the Copacabana Present Security Program arrested, on Tuesday afternoon (2/1), a man of Argentine nationality, convicted by the courts in 2020 for theft. He was located thanks to the facial recognition system installed on Rio's waterfront.

According to police, the man was walking near Praça Almirante Júlio de Noronha, in Copacabana, when he was identified by cameras using facial recognition technology. An alert was issued by the system and immediately, the location, including images of the wanted person, was passed on to the PM units. Present Security agents who were close to the scene carried out the arrest, minutes after issuing the alert.

The Argentine has been in Brazil since 2014 and has five criminal records for theft, robbery and drug trafficking. His first arrest was in 2016, but it was his arrest for involvement in the robbery of a supermarket in Botafogo that led to his conviction in 2020.

This was the second arrest made by Rio's Public Security forces since the start of monitoring cameras with the new facial analysis technology. On New Year's Eve, the Military Police arrested a fugitive in Copacabana, in the South Zone of the city. There was an open arrest warrant against him for attempted murder.

The installation of cameras on the coast of the capital with facial recognition software went into operation on Copacabana, Arpoador and Barra da Tijuca beaches, during the 2024 New Year's Eve celebrations. The idea is that, in total, 112 cameras with analysis technology facial are installed along the entire coastline of the capital, from Leme to Pedra de Guaratiba.

For this year's carnival, the system is also expected to work around the Sambadrome.