DETROIT (WXYZ) — Detroit police will continue to use facial recognition technology after a close vote by the Board of Police Commissioners.
By a vote of 5-3 Thursday night with two people abstaining, a measure to suspend the use of facial recognition for a year was shot down. The technology has come under fire this week after a lawsuit filed against the department claims facial recognition led to the false arrest of a Detroit woman who was 8 months pregnant.
"It is unacceptable," Detroit Police Department Chief James White said of the arrest. "I make no apologies — I make corrections.”
For 40 minutes, White addressed the Board of Police Commissioners on the most recent case of a false arrest that involved the use of facial recognition.
Thirty-two-year-old Porcha Woodruff was arrested in February while 8 months pregnant. She was accused of being involved in a carjacking — a crime she didn’t commit.
Facial recognition technology used on a surveillance image of the suspect provided a detective with Woodruff's name and photo, along with more than 70 other potential matches. A detective then used Woodruff's picture in a photo lineup and the victim mistakenly identified her as the suspect.
No other evidence tied Woodruff to the crime, and White says her picture should never have been used in a lineup.
During the public comment portion of Thursday night's meeting, some members of the public expressed outrage.
“This is systemic and it has got to stop," said Eric Blount, a minister with Sacred Heart Catholic Church. "A Black woman and her unborn child almost died, and I don't know why nobody is taking this more — seriously, because it could happen again very easily.”
Despite a lawsuit, White says he has met with the woman and her family. The investigator behind the arrest is now under investigation as White argued poor police work and human error led to her arrest and not the technology.
“This wasn’t the facial recognition system. This was someone who picked a picture out of 73 and decided to use it in a lineup,” White said.
After speaking at the meeting, White continued to say the technology is an important tool when used right and has helped solve 16 of the city’s 161 homicides this year.
“We've been able to capture at least 16 murderers — 16 — using facial recognition,“ White said. “To bring closure to those families, to bring closure to those moms who have lost their sons, husbands who have lost their wives, domestic violence victims that have been murdered, we use it in ways to make our city safe.”
But some commissioners felt the technology should be suspended immediately and put under review in light of the wrongful arrest, with the board members voting to suspend it for one year.
“No one should be afraid of police. No one should be afraid of being falsely arrested by this technology,” said Commissioner Willie Burton, who introduced the proposal. “These lives are affected, not just today but for many years to come.”
The vote ultimately failed, leaving the technology in place with new, stronger written policies that police hope will prevent similar situations from happening again.
“Hold me accountable for that we're going to do that," White said of the changes. "But those tools used right will keep this city safer.”
