EPS rethinks use of DNA phenotyping technology

Community concerned about generated image stigmatizing racialized groups

Edmonton police are dialing back a last-ditch effort to find a suspect after using his DNA to reverse engineer and circulate a “broad” image of his likeness.

On Tuesday, police announced they used DNA phenotyping to generate and release an image of a Black male suspect sought in a violent sexual assault from March 2019.

Police had only a limited description of the suspect, who was masked and wearing heavy winter clothing, and this procedure, described as “a last resort,” uses a person's genetic material to predict parts of their appearance such as eye, skin and hair colour as well as facial features including shape.

But on Thursday, police said they are removing the image from the news release on its website as well as its social media accounts.

Enyinnah Okere, chief operating officer of Edmonton Police Service's bureau for community safety and well-being, said his team commissioned the profile to advance the case in lieu of tips, leads and ultimately justice for the victim — a young woman left unconscious and nearly naked in -27 C weather.

“But we were not and are not oblivious to the legitimate questions raised about the suitability of this type of technology,” Okere told media at a downtown news conference Thursday. “The potential that a visual profile can provide far too broad a characterization from within a racialized community — and in this case, Edmonton's Black community — was not something I adequately considered.”

Community members criticized the “broadness” of the image and expressed concerns that it stigmatizes and criminalizes racialized groups, he said.

Okere also said police decided to release the image after the technology had been used to generate leads in other jurisdictions.

Parabon Nanolabs, the U.S. DNA technology company that produced the visual profile, boasts that its “snapshot genetic genealogy” has helped identify more than 230 persons of interest since it started offering the service in May 2018.

As of Thursday afternoon, the snapshot generated for Edmonton police was still available on the

company's list of investigations.

However, a 2019 article in Deutsches Ärzteblatt International, the German Medical Association's official international science journal, reports several concerns around forensic DNA phenotyping, such as discrimination against minority groups, invasion of privacy and exaggerated expectations from users and the general public.

“Many experts see the greatest problem in the risk that forensic DNA phenotyping will be used in a way that discriminates against minority groups, particularly in societies where racism and xenophobia are now on the rise,” the article reported, adding that even supporters of the technology recognize it shouldn't be used in police investigations before appropriate measures are in place to ensure it's used transparently and proportionately.

“The training of forensic DNA experts and investigators is essential to ensure that the laboratory findings are correctly generated, interpreted, documented, and transmitted to the investigating authorities, and that the authorities understand them correctly and use them properly,” the article said.

Police Chief Dale Mcfee said while the technology was deployed for the “right reasons,” namely to generate leads, the image could end up confusing the investigation.

“Unfortunately, that describes way too many people in our community,” Mcfee said of the image, adding that a police investigation also requires a significant amount of subject matter expertise before an arrest.

Okere said Edmonton Police Service will review its processes.