Reported Automated License Plate Reader Alert on Previously Stolen Rental Car Leads to Alleged Wrongful Detainment in California

November 23, 2018

An alleged instance of an automated license plate reader incorrectly flagging a previously recovered rental car in California resulted in a high-risk stop and detainment at gunpoint. The driver subsequently accused authorities of excessive force and database inaccuracies in a federal lawsuit, raising concerns about the reliability and safe operation of AI-based systems in law enforcement. This incident serves as an example for the need for responsible AI governance and prevention of harm. For those interested in promoting trustworthy AI practices through Project Cerebellum, join us by contributing to our AI incident database or participating in our TAIM efforts (Govern, Map, Measure, Manage). JOIN US

Matched TAIM controls

Suggested mapping from embedding similarity (not a formal assessment). Browse all TAIM controls

MEASURE 2.6 — similarity 0.696, rank 1. TAIM detail and related incidents →
MAP 4.1 — similarity 0.692, rank 2. TAIM detail and related incidents →
MAP 1.6 — similarity 0.677, rank 3. TAIM detail and related incidents →

Alleged deployer: contra-costa-county-sheriff
Alleged developer: vigilant-solutions
Alleged harmed parties: brian-hofer

Source

Data from the AI Incident Database (AIID). Cite this incident: https://incidentdatabase.ai/cite/248

Data source

Incident data is from the AI Incident Database (AIID).

When citing the database as a whole, please use:

McGregor, S. (2021) Preventing Repeated Real World AI Failures by Cataloging Incidents: The AI Incident Database. In Proceedings of the Thirty-Third Annual Conference on Innovative Applications of Artificial Intelligence (IAAI-21). Virtual Conference.

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