Robert Dillon wrongfully arrested in facial recognition misidentification
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Occurred: August 2024
Page published: September 2025
Robert Dillon was wrongfully arrested in Florida after he was falsely identified by a facial recognition system as a suspect in a child luring case.
What happened
What happened
After an attempt to lure a 12-year-old girl in Jacksonville Beach, Florida, Robert Dillon was arrested at his residence some 300 miles away based on a 93 percent facial recognition match run by the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office.
Dillon’s photograph was shown to two witnesses, who both identified him as the suspect they had seen in November 2023 among a group of similar photos.
The mistaken arrest caused Dillon significant personal harm and was later dropped, with charges dismissed and his record cleared. Dillon has since said he plans to sue the police.
Why it happened
Why it happened
The wrongful arrest resulted from the police department's reliance on unreliable facial recognition technology that cannot establish probable cause.
Photo lineups are generally considered to be sufficient to establish probable cause only in conjunction with other evidence.
The mistake was compounded by law enforcement agencies passing responsibility and lacking transparency.
What it means
What it means
The case reveals the serious risks wrongful arrests pose to individuals and highlights the need for regulation, oversight and caution in using AI technologies in policing to protect civil liberties and prevent injustice.
Facial recognition system
A facial recognition system is a technology potentially capable of matching a human face from a digital image or a video frame against a database of faces.
Source: Wikipedia 🔗
System 🤖
System 🤖
FACES
Developer: Idemia
Country: USA
Sector: Govt - police
Purpose: Identify criminal suspect
Technology: Facial recognition
Issue: Accountability; Accuracy/reliability; Human/civil rights; Transparency
Research, advocacy 🧮
Research, advocacy 🧮
EFF - Atlas of Surveillance. Jacksonville Sheriffs Office: Face Recognition
News, commentary, analysis 🗞️
News, commentary, analysis 🗞️
https://www.actionnewsjax.com/news/local/ai-wrong-guy-investigating-use-dangers-artificial-intelligence-jacksonville-policing/BJLBUO2N5BGTDDPXT7FLF22ZKM/
https://petapixel.com/2025/07/23/man-is-wrongfully-jailed-for-heinous-crime-due-to-facial-recognition-technology/
https://futurism.com/police-facial-recognition-random-arrest
https://www.bioenabletech.com/news/wrongful-arrest-in-florida-spotlights-facial-recognition-issues
Incident no: AIAAIC2027
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