Detroit police arrested Porcha Woodruff, then eight months pregnant, for carjacking and robbery after facial-recognition software matched her to suspect footage and her image was placed in a photo lineup. She was held for about 11 hours; prosecutors dropped the case a month later. It was the third known wrongful facial-recognition arrest by Detroit police, all of Black residents.
AIC-0017 S4 · Severe
Porcha Woodruff wrongful arrest by facial recognition while pregnant
- Harm
- Wrongful arrest and detention of a pregnant woman; she was later diagnosed with stress-related contractions and dehydration.
- Detection
- Charges dismissed by prosecutors after the faulty match was exposed.
- Outcome
- Woodruff sued the city; Detroit police changed policy to bar using facial-recognition images in photo lineups. (A later federal suit ruling went against her, but policy changes stood.)
A documented entry in the AI Crime Registry, a Defici non-profit initiative. Sourced from public reporting; corrections: [email protected].