A 42-year-old Black man said Detroit police unjustly arrested him after facial recognition technology incorrectly flagged him as a shoplifting suspect.

Robert Williams was arrested in January at his home in Farmington Hills in front of his wife and two young daughters and locked up for 30 hours. He was accused of stealing watches from Shinola.

While in jail, police showed him two blurry surveillance photos of the suspect.

“This is not me,” Williams recalls saying in a video about his arrest. “I hope you all don’t think all Black people look alike.”

He said one of the officers responded, “The computer must have gotten it wrong.”

It wasn't until later that night that Williams was released from jail, his attorney, Victoria Burton-Harris, said.

The charges have been dismissed.

“But the damage is done, Burton-Harris, who is running for Wayne County prosecutor, wrote in an op-ed for the ACLU on Wednesday. "Robert’s DNA sample, mugshot, and fingerprints — all of which were taken when he arrived at the detention center — are now on file. His arrest is on the record. Robert’s wife, Melissa, was forced to explain to his boss why Robert wouldn’t show up to work the next day. Their daughters can never un-see their father being wrongly arrested and taken away — their first real experience with the police.”

https://www.metrotimes.com/news-hits/archives/2020/06/24/detroit-police-arrest-wrong-black-man-based-on-facial-recognition-technology-error-aclu-says