LEAGUE CITY, Texas (KTRK) — A woman accused of stealing tens of thousands of dollars in beauty products from Ulta Beauty stores in several counties is now part of a larger discussion about how police use artificial intelligence.
Carmen Fernandez was recently arrested by the League City Police Department and charged with organized retail theft. However, it was her mug shot, not the charges, that caught people’s attention.
The League City Police Department said it used AI to alter a woman’s mugshot after they said the original image was blurry.
League City police shared a digitally enhanced mug shot created with Canva software because the original was too blurry. The edited photo was sent out in press releases and posted on Facebook, raising questions about transparency and how police should use AI.
Sgt. Jason Gray from the League City Police Department said the enhancement was only meant to make the photo clearer, not to change how Fernandez looked.
“The issue with the photo is when our detention officers took the shot, it was blurry, and it was not checked before it was put in the system,” Gray said. “So Officer Ortega updated the photo and clarified it so that it wasn’t blurry for the populace to see.”
However, legal experts warn that using AI, even with good intentions, could still cause problems.
Vik Vij, vice president of the Harris County Criminal Lawyers Association, said that public trust in both law enforcement and new technology is already shaky.
“At a time like this, when people don’t trust what they see on Facebook, they don’t trust what they see online, they don’t trust AI, and they don’t trust police – why would the police use AI to enhance a photo they put on Facebook?” Vij said. “It just doesn’t make sense.”
League City police said they recognize these concerns and do not have official rules for using AI tools yet, but they plan to review and possibly set guidelines in the future.
Gray said the department will start by retraining jail staff to take clear mug shots from the beginning, so digital enhancement won’t be needed as often.
“It’s new technology, and people are still leery of it,” Gray said. “There are a lot of things that could go wrong or could be construed incorrectly.”
Police say they will now review how new technologies are used in the department.
Fernandez is still in the Galveston County Jail as her case moves forward.
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