The New York Police Department is testing Google Glass to determine if the device would be a useful tool to help catch crooks.
Department heads purchased a few pairs of the eyewear and are beta testing them with the idea of using them in the field to help find and possibility identify criminals.
Google Glass has a built-in camera that's capable of recording video, which could be handy when trying to obtain evidence. It's also able to run apps like NameTag, which recently entered beta testing, and works by photographing a person and identifying them by searching social network sites.
If police decide to use the device, they could create an app that would allow officers to access a database of those who have a criminal record or an outstand warrant, according to The New York Post.
"It's in the early stages," a source said to The New York Post. "A handful of people are testing it out."
Google Glass can also be used to record audio of suspects, which could help solve cases a lot quicker and keep officers safer, along with the video recording feature, according to the report.
"That would enhance the safety of officers," the source said. "It's a win win for cops and the public."
A spokesman for Google was quoted by VentureBeat saying the company is not working with the police in an official test, meaning the department just registered for the beta testing program itself.
The NYPD employs a staff of over 34,500.
To get the device, a customer has to sign up to the Glass Explorer program and pay $1,500, according to Google.
Google Glass has been a controversial subject since being introduced. Just last month, a man and his with were told to leave an Ohio movie theater because he was wearing the device, claiming he was trying to record the movie illegally.
"I kept telling them that I wasn't recording anything," the man said, according to Gadgeteer. "my Glass was off, they insisted they saw it on. I told them there would be a light coming out the little screen if Glass was on, and I could show them that, but they insisted that I cannot touch my Glass for the fear 'I will erase the evidence against me that was on Glass'."
See Now: OnePlus 6: How Different Will It Be From OnePlus 5?
