Could Google Glass become a law enforcement official's most trusted gadget?
That's what the New York City Police Department is currently investigating. Cops in the area are testing Google's wearable recording device, which can also run apps and photograph a person for a social media ID match, according to the Telegraph. Police are now giving Glass a trial run, in hopes that officials can soon adopt the device permanently.
According to a New York City law enforcement official who spoke with VentureBeat, police are also looking to create an app that allows officers to scroll through criminal databases with ease.
"We signed up, got a few pairs of the Google glasses, and we're trying them out, seeing if they have any value in investigations, mostly for patrol purposes," the unnamed official said. "We're looking at them, you know, seeing how they work."
Google is uninvolved with the NYPD's Glass test run, VentureBeat reported. Officials registered for the Glass Explorer program, a course that allows a select few a trial of the device.
The NYPD currently employs 34,500 officers, making the department's potential Google Glass adoption an advantageous move from a sales standpoint.
But police might have difficulties with Glass, which has been widely criticized for its covert qualities.
An Ohio man was kicked out of a movie theater in January because a police officer claimed he was trying to illegally record the film.
The cop reportedly ordered the man to take the Glass off, while the unnamed civilian insisted he wasn't doing anything unlawful.
"I kept telling them that I wasn't recording anything - my Glass was off, they insisted they saw it on," he said at the time.
