Reno Truck Driver Arrested over AI Misfire May Have a Case

A Reno truck driver who was arrested because a local cop refused to believe him over an automated AI-powered facial recognition software may finally get justice as the policeman has admitted mea culpa in court.

AI on the Fritz, Police and City on the Hook

Richard Jager, the policeman who doubled down against the truck driver, Jason Killinger, and refused to hear him out, admitted in court that he had indeed gone too far and should not have taken the man into custody.

Killinger did not stay quiet either, filing a lawsuit against the department. In his complaint, he claims that his constitutional rights have been violated as he was flagged as a criminal at Reno’s Peppermill Casino in 2023.

The victim was then kept in custody for 11 hours and handcuffed for four hours, with Killinger’s legal team doubling down on the offensive and looking to add the city of Reno as a co-defendant in the case, arguing that the buck stopped with the administration to have sufficiently trained police officers.

“While Reno has recently changed its policies and implemented training to ensure that officers do not do what Jager did … it is unclear how many arrests based on facial recognition alone have been wrongfully made over the years. Jager admitted a wrongful arrest is ‘a terrible thing.’ Reno Police Department’s failure to train on issues so important to avoid wrongful arrests implicates municipal liability.” 

City of Reno Failed to Train Its Officers 

The arresting officer relied too heavily on the AI technology, instead of checking the driver’s ID, which he eventually did, arguing that he might have falsified it.

While Jager’s argument was not without merit, his prolonged arrest of the truck driver and failure to correct his mistake earlier is precisely why the case against him and the department has been brought on. 

Police did try to pursue different angles of defense in the past, but has eventually lessened its stance.