League City Police Use AI on Mugshot
The League City Police Department used AI to alter the mugshot of a woman accused of stealing tens of thousands of dollars. The specific AI application used and the reasons for the alteration were not disclosed in the report.
- The woman in the mugshot is Carmen Fernandez, who was arrested on a misdemeanor theft warrant for allegedly stealing from an Ulta Beauty store in League City. She is accused of being part of an organized retail theft ring that has stolen more than $78,000 worth of products from Ulta stores across the Houston area. - The League City Police Department used the image-editing software Canva, specifically its "Image Upscale" feature, to enhance the original booking photo. The department stated the alteration was made "solely to provide the public with a clearer image" because the original photo taken by jail staff was blurry. - This was reportedly only the second time the department had used AI to enhance a mugshot. Following public backlash on social media, League City Chief of Police Cliff Woitena directed the department to no longer use artificial intelligence to enhance booking photos. - At the time of the incident, the League City Police Department did not have a formal policy regarding the use of AI for improving booking photos. Department leaders now plan to discuss and address the issue. - The use of AI to alter photographic evidence by law enforcement has raised concerns within the legal community about the potential to undermine the credibility of evidence in court proceedings. This incident follows other cases where police departments have been criticized for using AI to manipulate images, such as a case in Maine where a department used AI to insert a department patch into a photo of seized drugs.
