Facial recognition tool led to mistaken arrest, lawyer says

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — An attorney says Louisiana authorities’ use of facial recognition technology led to the mistaken-identity arrest of a Georgia man on a fugitive warrant. The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate reports that 28-year-old Randall Reid was jailed for days in DeKalb County, Georgia. His attorney says facial recognition tools were used to falsely link him to purse thefts in Jefferson Parish and Baton Rouge. Reid says he’s never even been to Louisiana. He was released on Dec. 1. His case brings renewed attention to a technological crime-fighting tool. Critics cite studies showing the technology is more likely to misidentify people of color.