Wrongful Arrest Sparks Legal Battle Over Facial Recognition Software

DETROIT — A Detroit woman has filed a federal lawsuit against the Detroit Police Department, alleging that faulty investigative methods, including the possible use of facial recognition software, led to her wrongful arrest.

LaDonna Crutchfield, 37, was taken into custody on Jan. 23, 2024, at her home while with her children. Officers accused her of being a suspect in an attempted murder case, despite key discrepancies in age and height between her and the actual suspect.

Crutchfield was identified through a facial recognition database, according to the lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan. However, police officials deny using the technology in this case.

A Disputed Investigation

Assistant Police Chief Charles Fitzgerald stated that Crutchfield was linked to the crime through a partial license plate, not facial recognition technology. According to Fitzgerald, the plate led detectives to a residence where Crutchfield’s relatives supposedly lived, eventually bringing them to a photograph of Crutchfield.

Crutchfield’s attorney, Ivan Land, disputes this claim, arguing that no family members of his client had ever lived at the residence in question. “We believe there was some type of facial recognition, and the reason why, there was no type of investigation conducted. You just looked at a photo and said, 'Uh, it's her.'”

According to the lawsuit, police officers told Crutchfield they had a warrant for her arrest, though no such document existed. She was handcuffed, detained, and taken to a detention center, where she was shown blurry images of the actual suspect. When she denied being the person in the photos, an officer allegedly said, “You got to admit it looks like you,” to which she responded, “Why? Because I am fat and Black like her?”

Release and Legal Action

Crutchfield was released after about six hours in custody but only after providing fingerprints and a DNA sample. She later obtained a letter from a detective confirming that she was not a suspect in the case. Despite her release, Crutchfield said the experience caused significant emotional distress and professional repercussions.

Her lawsuit seeks damages for alleged violations of her Fourth Amendment rights. The case also highlights broader concerns about facial recognition technology, which critics argue disproportionately misidentifies people of color.

Pattern of Wrongful Arrests

This is not the first time Detroit police have faced legal action over misidentifications linked to facial recognition. In 2023, Porcha Woodruff, an eight-months pregnant woman, was arrested for carjacking due to a mistaken identity from the same technology. Another Detroit man, Robert Williams, was wrongly arrested in 2020 based on a false match in a shoplifting case. The city later settled Williams’ lawsuit for $300,000.

Land, who also represents Woodruff, said these cases show a pattern of negligence in the department’s use of facial recognition technology. “I think Detroit officers are poorly trained, and they use facial recognition instead of an investigative lead, as probable cause,” he said.

Police Response and Oversight Calls

Detroit police maintain that Crutchfield’s arrest was a case of mistaken identity, not a failure of facial recognition technology. “Facial rec[ognition] was never run in this case,” Fitzgerald said. “It was never submitted. So, I don't know where she, our complainant, got this information.”

Crutchfield’s lawsuit calls for federal oversight of the police department’s investigative practices, particularly regarding the use of surveillance technology.

“This changes people’s lives,” Crutchfield said. “My daughter, every time someone knocks on the door, she thinks it's the police.”