Dubai police are now using Google Glass to catch traffic violators

Police in Dubai have begun using Google Glass as part of an effort to crack down on traffic violations. An official with the emirate’s police force confirmed to Gulf News this week that traffic officers are testing the wearable devices, adding that the department has already developed two custom applications: one to capture and upload photos of traffic violators, and another to identify wanted cars based on licensed plate numbers. It’s not yet clear when police will start using the technology on a wider basis, but Colonel Khalid Nasser Al Razooqi, general director of smart services at Dubai Police, tells Gulf News that if the trials go well, the department would adopt the technology more broadly once Google Glass becomes available. “If it passes our testing criteria as well as we see that it is a useful device, then we might decide to launch it and buy more of it,” Al Razooqi said. Using the apps developed by his unit, police can capture and upload photos to the department’s database by tapping the side of the headset, and can capture license numbers simply by looking at a car’s plates. These numbers will be automatically cross-referenced against a central database to flag any wanted cars.