Overview

• Civil-rights groups and the Legal Aid Society formally requested that the Department of Investigation open a probe into the NYPD’s use of facial recognition following a detailed New York Times account.
• Trevis Williams was arrested in April after a mug-shot match in an indecent-exposure case, spent two days in jail, and saw his charges dismissed in July after phone data indicated he was elsewhere.
• The NYPD says it does not make arrests based solely on facial-recognition matches and describes the technology as an investigative tool.
• Legal Aid alleges the NYPD’s Intelligence Division Special Activities Unit avoids required documentation and relies on other agencies for searches, including FDNY, with references to tools such as Clearview AI and DMV photos.
• A June court ruling found law enforcement misused facial identification with FDNY assistance, advocates warn the technology misidentifies people of color and other groups, and Williams says the arrest stalled his Rikers Island job prospects.