Black residents in the Edmonton region of Alberta, Canada, are calling out the local police for the use of phenotyping, a practice where DNA is used to create digital images of unidentified suspects. Earlier this month, Edmonton Police Service (EPS) announced plans to work with a U.S. company to begin the practice of DNA phenotyping. But after releasing an image of an unidentified suspect in a sexual assault case gone cold, the results garnered public backlash for how the image characterized a Black suspect. EPS Chief Operating Officer Enyinnah Okere apologized for how the image might’ve upset Edmonton’s Black community. “It is troubling to issue a generic image that renders large numbers of Black males suspect,” the letter states.

Source: CBC News October 26, 2022 20:10 UTC