Mall of America's security team will start using facial recognition software as part of safety plan
BLOOMINGTON, Minn. — Mall of America now has a new way to keep shoppers safe.
A new high-tech layer of security has been added after gun-related incidents in recent years.
Signs let you know you're coming face to face with new facial recognition technology.
"Very mixed feelings about this because it could be useful and not so useful sometimes," said Melva Bargiela, a long-time Minnesota resident who is now living in Spain.
Cameras with the ability to map faces have been installed to give shoppers peace of mind while detecting potential threats.
"I think they're watching us all the time, have been for years," said Monday West, a visitor from Southern California.
"Our system is not scanning faces to go find out who you are," said Will Benhjelm, vice president of security at Mall of America.
The mall's security team says it is only looking for persons of interest. That includes banned individuals, those who may be a threat, persons identified by law enforcement or those who are missing or may be in danger.
Those persons of interest are then put into a database. Cameras around the mall will scan your face to see if it comes back as a match. If it doesn't your photo is gone.
"As a person of color, it does make me a little nervous just because mistakes can be made," said Brandon Charles of Minneapolis. "But it's also like mistakes can get a little dangerous, especially for people who are targeted a little more."
When tested by the Department of Homeland Security, the software's algorithm correctly identified individuals 99.3% of the time. If the system does find a match, action isn't immediately taken.
"There's up to a three-layer human verification to make sure that we have the right person," Benhjelm said.
While it's weird to know their face is being scanned, shoppers agree that an extra level of security is needed.
"I get it. They're just looking for bad people," Bargiela said.
In March, the mall began using security dogs to sniff for guns. It continues to use patrol, bike, dispatch and plain clothes units as part of its security team.