AI Facial Recognition Wrongful Arrest Raises New Concerns
A Black father from North Carolina says his life was torn apart after Jacksonville law enforcement used facial recognition technology to connect him to a Florida theft case, even though his attorney says records showed he was hundreds of miles away at work when the alleged crime happened.
Jalil Richardson, of Charlotte, was identified as a suspect after a man in Jacksonville tried to register a newly purchased vehicle and learned it had been reported stolen on April 2, 2025. According to court documents cited by WSOC-TV, the man contacted law enforcement and told investigators the seller had given him a fake Georgia ID.
The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office later recovered surveillance video from the parking lot where the vehicle was purchased. An investigator then used facial recognition technology to compare the image from the video and ID to possible suspects. The system reportedly matched Richardson with 85% accuracy.
That match helped lead to an arrest warrant.
Richardson Says Police Never Checked His Alibi
Richardson was arrested at his home in Charlotte, nearly six hours from Jacksonville. He said he spent about a month in the Mecklenburg County Jail before being extradited to Florida, where he remained in the Duval County Jail for more than 50 days.
“There was no proper investigation done to even reach out to me or to see if I was even in Florida. He just automatically put a warrant out for my arrest,” Richardson said.
Richardson said the identification process itself raised red flags. He told WSOC-TV the victim described the suspect as someone with dreadlocks and a big nose, then picked him from a photo lineup.
“The guy said it was a guy with dreads and a big nose, and then they picked me out of a lineup of guys that look nothing like me,” Richardson said.
His attorney later presented timesheets showing Richardson was working in North Carolina when the vehicle sale happened. Richardson has said he had never been to Florida.
Charges Dropped, But Damage Remains
Prosecutors eventually dropped the charges last week, ending the criminal case against Richardson. But for Richardson, the damage did not end when the case did.
He said the arrest and months behind bars cost him his job, his home and custody of two of his children. He also said his mugshot remains online, making it harder for him to find work and rebuild his life.
“I lost everything,” Richardson said.
The case adds to growing concerns about how police departments use facial recognition technology, particularly in cases involving Black suspects. Civil rights groups have long warned that facial recognition systems can misidentify people of color and that an algorithmic match should not be treated like proof.
Action News Jax reported that the State Attorney’s Office identified two cases where Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office facial recognition technology helped develop wrong suspects. One involved Richardson. The other involved Robert Dillon, whose case was also dropped.
Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office Defends Use Of Technology
The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office told WSOC-TV that facial recognition was only one part of its investigation.
“Facial recognition technology is used as one tool among many available to investigators,” the office said. “In this case, it was one tool, but certainly not the only tool, which lent to the probable cause determination that Mr. Richardson was the perpetrator of these crimes.”
For Richardson, that explanation does not undo what happened. He is now trying to rebuild after an arrest he says should never have happened.
“I’m not sure how I’m going to bounce back from this one,” Richardson said. “It’s a lot. I’m trying to take it one day at a time and get any help and any resources that I can.”
