Nationwide — LaDonna Crutchfeld, a 37-year-old African American woman from Detroit, Michigan, is suing the Detroit Police Department after being wrongfully arrested in January 2024 due to faulty facial recognition. She claims the technology led to her detention over a mistaken identity.
According to Fox 2 Detroit, six officers arrived at Crutchfeld’s home, claiming she matched a suspect wanted for assault with attempted murder. She was confused, asking, “What am I going to jail?” The officers stated they had a warrant and took her in for questioning.
Her attorney, Ivan Land, said police told Crutchfeld she resembled a woman in a Project Greenlight video. “She asked him why do you think it’s me, because I’m fat and black like her? And he kinda laughed and said you gotta admit it does look like you.”
After being handcuffed and paraded in front of neighbors, she was taken to the station, where she was forced to provide a DNA sample and fingerprints. She was released after eight hours.
Land argues that Crutchfeld’s wrongful arrest, based on a mistaken identification, caused significant harm, especially since it happened in front of her children.
Meanwhile, Assistant Detroit Police Chief Charles Fitzgerald denied the arrest was linked to facial recognition. He stated that officers compared photos and that an investigation—not facial recognition—led them to Crutchfeld. He also mentioned a partial license plate as part of the investigation, but Land disputes any connection to Crutchfeld.
Moreover, this lawsuit adds to ongoing concerns over Detroit’s use of facial recognition technology, which has faced criticism for misidentifying Black individuals. A court date has not been set, and the city’s police are now restricted from arresting individuals based solely on facial recognition results.