The Martin County Sheriff's Office will no longer use artificial intelligence to enhance suspect photos following concerns that the technology could distort vital evidence.
Sheriff Drew Robinson announced the policy shift after his department pulled down an AI-altered image posted online to help identify individuals connected to a break-in at the East Carolina Motor Speedway. While investigators originally used AI to clarify a blurry image, Robinson stated that the software is not completely reliable and risks creating inaccurate representations of people.
The sheriff took full responsibility for the post, stressing that public law enforcement photos must accurately represent the exact evidence available. Moving forward, the agency will rely strictly on unaltered imagery for suspect identification.
