NYPD facial recognition misidentifies Black man, leads to wrongful arrest
The NYPD used facial recognition technology to wrongfully arrest Trevis Williams, a Black man, for an indecent exposure crime in April 2025, despite evidence he was miles away at the time. The case was dismissed, but the Legal Aid Society reported this as the seventh wrongful arrest from NYPD facial recognition over five years and alleged the agency circumvents its own regulations through undocumented practices.
What happened
In April 2025, the NYPD used facial recognition technology to identify Trevis Williams, 36, as a suspect in an indecent exposure incident that occurred in Manhattan's Union Square earlier in the year. Williams was arrested and spent two days in custody despite not matching the physical description of the suspect, who was reported to be 5-foot-6 while Williams is 6-foot-2.
Cell phone location data showed Williams was driving from Connecticut to Brooklyn at the time of the crime. The case was dismissed after the Legal Aid Society's Digital Forensics Unit presented evidence proving Williams was nowhere near the scene.
Reported impact
Williams was charged with indecent exposure and faced potential sex offender registration. He reported ongoing stress and fear from the wrongful arrest and prosecution.
The Legal Aid Society stated this was the seventh wrongful arrest it has documented involving NYPD facial recognition technology over five years. Civil rights groups called for an investigation and ban on the technology.
Index analysis
Legal Aid alleged in a letter to authorities that the NYPD's Special Activities Unit operates outside legal regulations on facial recognition use, avoiding documentation and relying on mismatched photos from outside approved databases. The letter also alleged the NYPD circumvents its own restrictions by using the Fire Department of the City of New York (FDNY) to conduct facial recognition searches that fall outside legal policy limits.
Governance controls
The NYPD stated it has legal regulations surrounding facial recognition use and that it cannot make arrests solely on facial recognition matches. However, Legal Aid claimed the Special Activities Unit within the NYPD's Intelligence Division operates secretly outside these bounds.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.