The Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office (MDSO) and the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) have bought access to GeoSpy, an AI tool that can near instantly geolocate a photo using clues in the image such as architecture and vegetation, with plans to use it in criminal investigations, according to a cache of internal police emails obtained by 404 Media.

The emails provide the first confirmed purchases of GeoSpy’s technology by law enforcement agencies. On its website GeoSpy has previously published details of investigations it says used the technology, but did not name any agencies who bought the tool.

“The Cyber Crimes Bureau is piloting a new analytical tool called GeoSpy. Early testing shows promise for developing investigative leads by identifying geospatial and temporal patterns,” an MDSO email reads.

The emails show MDSO has access to the “global” GeoSpy model, which lets it geolocate photos from around the world, and a custom model specifically trained for Miami-Dade County. GeoSpy claims that its custom models provide results to an accuracy of one meter, according to the emails. 404 Media has not independently verified those claims, and on its site GeoSpy changes that claim to “Our AI can pinpoint locations in supported cities within 1-5 meters accuracy.”

“The one-time fee covers data collection, compute resources, research and development, and engineering hours,” a June 2025 email from GeoSpy to the agency reads. That fee changes “based on region size and density,” according to the email.

In all, MDSO’s access cost $85,500, according to documents attached to the emails. That includes the custom Miami-Dade County model for $38,000, two annual GeoSpy licenses each costing $5,000 with 350 searches, and an additional 150,000 searches for another $37,500.

A presentation included in the emails says the only other law enforcement agency using GeoSpy is “LAPD’s Robbery and Homicide Bureau.” 404 Media previously reported on LAPD’s interest in the technology, but the new emails say LAPD did acquire a license for the tool.

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