This year at the Tulsa State Fair, the Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office is using facial recognition software to help parents if their child gets lost. News On 6 spoke with deputies and parents about the new technology.
Q: Why is the sheriff’s office using facial recognition at the fair?
“It helps narrow down quite a bit. Like I said, there’s still a lot that still comes down to the deputies on the midway or on the premises to help locate. But it cuts a lot of the guesswork out of it,” Capt. Mike Moore said.
Deputies say the software allows them to cross-reference a child’s photo and description with security cameras across the fairgrounds, helping locate lost children faster. After the fair, all information is deleted.
Q: How can parents register their children?
Parents can sign their kids up at the sheriff’s office booths inside the fairgrounds by providing a photo and description of what the child looks like and what they’re wearing. Deputies say signing up only takes a few minutes.
Q: What do parents think about the technology?
“Technology’s awesome. So all the little kids have little trackers on their phones, so if they get separated, my wife can find them,” said William Tygart. “Kids change. Facial features change. I mean, for adults, it doesn’t bother me.”
“It makes me feel like if worst-case scenario were to happen, that there is a procedure in place that would be helpful,” Angela Jamar said.
Parents say that, between their own precautions and this new technology, they feel reassured that their kids are safe while enjoying the fair.
“That makes me feel really good that that poor parent that has gone through that has a good chance of everything being okay,” said Jamar.
Q: Are there any other tools the sheriff’s office is using?
In addition to facial recognition, deputies are also using new surveillance drones to help search for missing children throughout the fairgrounds.
Sam Carrico
Sam Carrico is an Emmy Award-winning multimedia journalist who joined the News On 6 team in 2021.
