The Broward County Sheriff's Office purchased Meta Ray-Ban smart glasses for its undercover officers in May 2025, and the agency won't say how they're being used or what rules govern them.
The acquisition, first reported by Miami New Times on Thursday, Aug. 6, matters for Aventura, Sunny Isles Beach and Golden Beach residents because BSO's Broward County jurisdiction sits directly north of the three communities. Public records obtained by surveillance researcher Dave Maass and posted to MuckRock show BSO bought several pairs from Amazon for its Internet Crimes Against Children unit.
BSO spokesperson Veda Coleman-Wright declined to answer questions about how officers use the glasses, citing a public records exemption covering "surveillance techniques or procedures." She also declined to provide any departmental policy governing their use.
No public records show that Aventura Police, Sunny Isles Beach Police or Golden Beach Police have acquired the glasses. None had responded to the Aventura Beacon's inquiries as of publication.
What the glasses do
Meta markets the Ray-Ban smart glasses as consumer eyewear that can take photos, record video, livestream and interact with an AI assistant. Unlike a standard body camera, the glasses look like ordinary sunglasses. A small LED light is supposed to signal when recording is active, but Engadget reported July 31 that stickers costing as little as $2 can block the indicator without triggering Meta's anti-tamper software.
Meta told Engadget the company is exploring ways to strengthen its detection of such tampering and disable the camera when it occurs.
The accountability gap
Florida law (F.S. 943.1718) requires agencies that use body cameras to adopt written policies on use, storage and retention of footage. The statute defines a body camera as "a portable electronic recording device that is worn on a law enforcement officer's person." Whether Meta smart glasses fall under that definition has not been tested in court, meaning agencies could potentially use them without the same policy requirements that govern traditional body-worn cameras.
"Police officers wearing Meta smart glasses and secretly recording the public is a direct threat to Floridians' right to free speech and protest," Will Owen, a spokesperson for the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project, told Miami New Times.
Owen described the glasses as "ordinary-looking" eyewear that makes "no gesture toward police accountability," noting the LED indicator can be missed in a crowd or deliberately obscured.
A growing pattern
BSO is not alone. The Okeechobee County Sheriff's Office bought about half a dozen pairs in October 2024, though spokesperson Jack Nash said those are used for remote IT troubleshooting, not surveillance. Border Patrol agents were seen wearing the glasses during immigration enforcement operations in Chicago in December 2025, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents wore them during operations in Los Angeles and Charlotte, North Carolina, according to 404 Media.
Meta did not respond to Miami New Times' questions about policies governing law enforcement use of its consumer glasses.
Residents who want to know whether their local department has purchased the devices can file a public records request with Aventura Police, Sunny Isles Beach Police or Golden Beach Police.
