Detroit Evening Report: Woman sues city of Detroit after being wrongfully arrested while pregnant because of facial recognition tech
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A Detroit woman who was arrested in connection with a suspected robbery and carjacking when she was pregnant is suing the city — and one of its police officers — for what she says is an over-reliance on facial recognition technology.
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As the Detroit Free Press reports, Porcha Woodruff was arrested on Feb. 16 in front of her crying children while eight months pregnant. The lawsuit claims she was questioned for 11 hours and had to be taken to the hospital due to dehydration — but only after she was released on a $100,000 bond.
Prosecutors dropped the case in March but say facial recognition technology led to the arrest of Porcha Woodruff.
The lawsuit against the city of Detroit and a police officer claims that Woodruff has suffered “past and future emotional distress” because of the arrest.
Critics say the facial recognition technology results in a higher rate of misidentification of people of color compared to their white counterparts.
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