04.04.2025 16:01
Isoke Robinson, who lives in the United States, was mistakenly involved in an armed attack incident due to an error in the license plate recognition system. The police identified Robinson's vehicle because they suspected it was a white car, and they handcuffed the woman in front of her home. However, the woman was never arrested or formally charged.
Isoke Robinson, a 46-year-old resident of Detroit, became a victim due to a mistake made by the police. She was implicated in a shooting incident that had nothing to do with her because of an error in the license plate recognition system.
While investigating a shooting that occurred in 2023, Detroit police received witness reports stating that the vehicle was white, but no license plate information was provided. Consequently, the police attempted to identify suspects by scanning all white vehicles captured by a camera located two miles from the crime scene.
Robinson's vehicle was identified in this scan, and the woman was handcuffed in front of her neighbors at her home. Even her two-year-old autistic son was briefly placed in the police car. The woman was never arrested or formally charged, but the police still seized her vehicle.
Left without a car, the mother had to borrow a vehicle for three weeks to get to work. Robinson, who works on the assembly line at the Stellantis factory, also faced significant challenges in meeting the needs of her autistic son, who requires special care.
The Detroit Police Department acknowledged, as a result of an internal investigation, that the vehicle was "not released in a timely manner" and paid Robinson $35,000 in compensation. However, the victimized mother stated through her attorney Paul Matouka that she did not believe this payment would bring about any real change in the system.
Gabrielle Dresner, a representative of the American Civil Liberties Union, emphasized that Robinson's experiences are an example of how such technologies can victimized innocent people. It has not yet been announced whether there will be any changes in the usage of the more than 100 license plate recognition cameras established in Detroit for crime-fighting purposes.