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from the if-you-have-nothing-to-hide-y—oh-wait dept.
Facial recognition linked to a second wrongful arrest by Detroit police:
A false facial recognition match has led to the arrest of another innocent person. According to the Detroit Free Press, police in the city arrested a man for allegedly reaching into a person's car, taking their phone and throwing it, breaking the case and damaging the screen in the process.
Facial recognition flagged Michael Oliver as a possible suspect, and the victim identified him in a photo lineup as the person who damaged their phone. Oliver was charged with a felony count of larceny over the May 2019 incident. He said he didn't commit the crime and the evidence supported his claim.
The perpetrator, who was recorded in footage captured on a phone, doesn't look like Oliver. For one thing, he has tattoos on his arms, and there aren't any visible on the person in the video. When Oliver's attorney took photos of him to the victim and an assistant prosecutor, they agreed Oliver had been misidentified. A judge later dismissed the case.
[...] Late last month, Detroit Police Chief James Craig suggested the technology the department uses, which was created by DataWorks Plus, isn't always reliable. "If we were just to use the technology by itself, to identify someone, I would say 96 percent of the time it would misidentify," he said in a public meeting, according to Motherboard. From the start of the year through June 22nd, the force used the software 70 times per the department's public data. In all but two of those cases, the person whose image the technology analyzed was Black.
(Score: 2) by dry on Tuesday July 21 2020, @05:27AM (1 child)
Yes, it is scary how politicized your criminal system is. Having prosecutors, district attorneys, Judges, even the head of the police, often being elected and so responsible to the governing party, and therefore partisan. Even in the States that don't elect these offices, they still seem way too partisan. Courts and police should be independent of politics.
Here, excepting the Attorney General, who is part of the government, though still independent, the court system works for the Crown, and while they're appointed on the advice of the government, it really seems to be based on qualifications rather then politics. And while the Provincial broadly directs law enforcement, there is really a feeling of independence with general directives like don't worry about prosecuting personal drug use in my Province. I wasn't clear up the page, feds write criminal law, Provinces enforce it unless it is something under Federal jurisdiction.
Traffic tickets are offences under the Motor Vehicle Act here, default is the courts aren't involved though you can elect to argue in court, and hope the cop doesn't show. Serious driving offences like dangerous driving causing death are criminal and DUI can be either, usually handled by the Provinces laws but the option for criminal charges is there.
We also have summary and indictable offences, with arrest usually for an indictable offence, though the Crown might decide to pursue it as a summary offence,where you just sign a promise to appear. We also have more limits on the right to a jury trial, basically if facing 5+ years, you can elect trial by jury.
(Score: 2) by RS3 on Tuesday July 21 2020, @05:57AM
I've often thought I'd be happier in Canada.
Yes, we have the right to jury trial, and it's interesting the strategizing that goes on. There are many factors. Juries are more apt to make emotional and empathetic decisions, so that's got to be considered.
Yes, judges, DAs, AGs, etc., are mostly elected and strongly identify with a political party. I dream of a world with no political parties, or many, rather than mostly 2 that constantly fight like ill-behaved unattended children.
I was just reminded of "Writ of Habeas Corpus" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Habeas_corpus [wikipedia.org] so there is some possible help for incarcerated innocents. I'm not sure when or how often it's used.
Your system sounds a lot better. I've always wanted an independent investigator system. Not arrest-happy head-thumping cops and DAs that work hand-in-hand.