Plain-languageAI guidancefor Canadianpolicing
Independent, sourced explainers on what AI is, what Canadian law and regulators say, and what police services across Canada have publicly reported. Written for officers, supervisors, civilian staff, chiefs and boards.
Explore
What you will find here
Six sections, each built from public sources.
AI Explained
What generative AI, facial recognition, transcription and analytics tools do, and what they do not do.
Canadian Law & Rules
Privacy Commissioner findings and guidance, the Toronto Police Service Board policy, CACP principles and the legal gaps regulators describe.
Use Cases tracker
Publicly reported Canadian police AI uses, each with a source, a status, and what is claimed versus what evidence we saw.
Playbooks
Starter checklists for adopting a tool, questioning a vendor, and reviewing an AI-assisted report.
FAQ
Short, sourced answers to common questions from the field and from leadership.
About & Editorial Policy
Independence, how we source, and how we correct mistakes.
From the public record
What regulators and agencies have said
Clearview AI and the RCMP
In 2021 the Privacy Commissioner found the RCMP contravened the Privacy Act by collecting personal information from Clearview AI. [OPC, 2021]
A board policy on police AI
The Toronto Police Service Board's policy sets principles and an approval process for AI technology, and says no current statutes fully govern AI use in Ontario or Canada. [TPSB policy]
Chiefs' draft principles
The Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police has circulated draft ethical principles for responsible AI use in Canadian police services. [CACP principles (FR), July 2026]
How we work
Evidence first
Find the source
Primary documents first: regulator findings, board policies, official reports.
Separate claim from evidence
What an agency or vendor says is labelled as a claim, not a finding.
Say what is unknown
Gaps and unverified items are listed, not smoothed over.
Correct in public
Errors are fixed with a dated note. See the corrections policy.
Not legal advice. This site explains public information. For decisions about your service, use your service's policies and counsel.
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