Civil rights experts say Robert Williams of Michigan is the first known example of an American wrongfully arrested based on a false hit from police using facial recognition tech. He says he hopes his case is a wake-up call to lawmakers.
A photo of the alleged suspect in a theft case in Detroit, left, next to the driver's license photo of Robert Williams. An algorithm said Williams was the suspect, but he and his lawyers say the tool produced a false hit.A photo of the alleged suspect in a theft case in Detroit, left, next to the driver's license photo of Robert Williams. An algorithm said Williams was the suspect, but he and his lawyers say the tool produced a false hit.
In January, police pulled up to Williams' home and arrested him while he stood on his front lawn in front of his wife and two daughters, ages 2 and 5, who cried as they watched their father being placed in the patrol car." 'Google it,'"she remembers an officer telling her. "[The detective] flips the third page over and says, 'So I guess the computer got it wrong, too.' And I said, 'Well, that's me,' pointing at a picture of my previous driver's license," Williams said of the interrogation with detectives."'But that guy's not me,'"he said, referring to the other photographs.
At the hearing, a Wayne County prosecutor announced that the charges against Williams were being dropped. The alleged suspect in the security camera image was wearing a red St. Louis Cardinals hat. Williams, a Detroit native, said he would under no circumstances be wearing that hat. In a statement to NPR, the Detroit Police Department said after the Williams case, the department enacted new rules. Now, only still photos, not security footage, can be used for facial recognition. And it is now used only in the case of violent crimes.
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