A 37-year-old Black woman from Detroit, LaDonna Crutchfeld, has filed a lawsuit against the Detroit Police Department (DPD) after being wrongfully arrested in January 2024 due to faulty facial recognition technology.
Crutchfeld alleges that police misidentified her as a suspect in an attempted murder case, leading to a traumatizing arrest in front of her children and neighbors.
Allegations of Racial Bias in Facial Recognition
According to Fox 2 Detroit, six officers arrived at Crutchfeld’s home, informing her she was under arrest for an assault with intent to commit murder. Confused, she asked “What am I going to jail for?” Officers told her there was a warrant for her arrest.
Her attorney, Ivan Land, claims the misidentification stemmed from a Project Greenlight surveillance video. He said Crutchfeld asked an officer how she was identified, to which he allegedly responded, “Because I’m fat and Black like her?”—a statement the officer reportedly laughed at.
Crutchfeld was handcuffed, taken to a police station, and forced to submit DNA and fingerprints before being released eight hours later.
Detroit Police Deny Facial Recognition Error
Assistant Detroit Police Chief Charles Fitzgerald denied that facial recognition technology played a role in Crutchfeld’s arrest.
He insisted officers compare photographs and use additional investigative methods, including a partial license plate match. However, Land disputes this, arguing there was no legitimate evidence linking Crutchfeld to the crime.
Ongoing Concerns Over Facial Recognition in Detroit
Crutchfeld’s lawsuit adds to growing criticism of Detroit’s use of facial recognition technology, which has been repeatedly accused of misidentifying Black individuals.
Multiple lawsuits have been filed against the DPD in recent years, with experts warning that facial recognition software disproportionately fails to accurately identify people of color.
As a result of these cases, Detroit police are now prohibited from making arrests solely based on facial recognition matches.
However, advocates argue that stricter safeguards are needed to prevent wrongful arrests like Crutchfeld’s.
A court date has not yet been set in her case.
