Man Wrongfully Imprisoned Due to Facial Recognition Error Joins Growing Number of Black Plaintiffs in Lawsuits

Randal Quran Reid was en route to his mother’s residence on the day following Thanksgiving of the previous year when he was intercepted and detained by police on a bustling Georgia highway. Officers informed him that he was sought for criminal activities in Louisiana and subsequently incarcerated him. Reid, who identifies as Quran, spent the subsequent days in confinement, puzzled over how he could be implicated in criminal activities in a state he claims never to have visited.

This month, a legal complaint attributes his detention to the flawed application of facial recognition technology by a detective from the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office in Louisiana.

“Uncertainty and anger overwhelmed me because I was uninformed about the situation,” Quran stated in an interview with The Big Big News. “All they told me was, ‘You have to wait for authorities from Louisiana to collect you,’ without specifying any time frame.”

Quran, aged 29, is among a growing number of Black plaintiffs who have initiated legal proceedings against law enforcement agencies. They argue that they have been erroneously identified and subsequently arrested due to faulty facial recognition technology. Among these are three lawsuits against the Detroit Police Department, one of which was filed by an eight-month-pregnant woman wrongfully accused of car theft.

Facial recognition technology enables law enforcement to input images from surveillance footage into software that cross-references government databases or social media for potential matches. Although proponents argue that it is invaluable for solving crimes, detractors assert that the technology disproportionately misidentifies people of color as compared to white individuals.

Several states and municipalities have curtailed its application. “Even with standard operating procedures in place, the use of this technology poses significant civil liberties and privacy risks,” commented Sam Starks, a senior attorney at The Cochran Firm in Atlanta, representing Quran.

The lawsuit, filed on September 8 in a federal court in Atlanta, designates Jefferson Parish Sheriff Joseph Lopinto and Detective Andrew Bartholomew as defendants. According to the lawsuit, Bartholomew solely relied on facial recognition technology to obtain an arrest warrant for Reid, based on the unauthorized use of a credit card to purchase two purses valued at over $8,000 from a consignment store near New Orleans in June 2022.

“Detective Bartholomew failed to undertake even rudimentary inquiries into Mr. Reid, which would have disclosed his location in Georgia at the time of the alleged theft,” stated the legal complaint.

When contacted, Bartholomew declined to comment, as did Capt. Jason Rivarde, a spokesman for the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office, citing ongoing litigation.

The lawsuit accuses Bartholomew of making a misleading affidavit to secure the warrant, suggesting that his ‘credible source’ was facial recognition technology. It also accuses both Bartholomew and Sheriff Lopinto of false arrest, malicious prosecution, and negligence, claiming that Lopinto failed to enforce sufficient regulations concerning the use of facial recognition technology.

After hiring a lawyer in Louisiana, Quran’s family presented evidence to the Sheriff’s Office that eventually led to the withdrawal of the arrest warrant. Quran was released six days following his arrest. He continues to grapple with the traumatic experience, pondering the potential consequences had he not had the financial means to engage legal representation. To this day, he remains vigilant when he observes police vehicles, reflecting on the ordeal and its potential ramifications.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Facial Recognition Lawsuit

More about Facial Recognition Lawsuit

• Facial Recognition Technology and Civil Liberties
• Lawsuits Against Law Enforcement for Facial Recognition Errors
• Wrongful Arrest Cases Involving Facial Recognition
• Ethical Concerns in Facial Recognition Technology
• State Legislation on Facial Recognition Technology
• Racial Bias in Facial Recognition Technology
• How Facial Recognition Technology Works
• Recent Lawsuits Involving Facial Recognition
• Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office Policies
• Civil Liberties Organizations on Facial Recognition Technology