Proof of Identity: Real ID and
Your driver's license photo could get you arrested. Police can use a computer to match your photo to a thief. That's what happened to Robert Williams near Detroit. Police put handcuffs on him right in his own driveway. He spent 30 hours locked up. Could your photo get matched to a stranger's crime? Soon you'll know how to protect your family.
Police held Williams for 30 hours. And he never stole a thing.
The ACLU wrote up how it happened. A shoplifter got caught on a blurry security video. Police had a computer program pick out Robert's photo.
Police built the whole case on one blurry photo. Nobody checked where he was the day of the theft.
Your license photo is on file too. Police searched through Robert's photo the very same way. Police only needed a face that looked like his.
A clerk at the DMV always checks your papers first.
Police came for him in January 2020. Then a judge set a personal bond for him. Only then did Robert get to go home.
The ACLU has kept track of arrests like Robert's. Each time, police trusted a match that was wrong.
His license had his name and his photo on it. It also had his birth date and his address. Police used his license photo like a photo in a lineup.
Nearly every person who got arrested this way was Black. Robert Williams is one of them.
If this helps, a like and a subscribe help us keep it coming.
Police only needed one face that looked like his. But proving you're really you takes a lot more paperwork.
If your license is current, that one card is enough. If your papers don't have a photo, you need two of them together. Bills and bank statements need two, plus one no-photo paper. And your name has to match exactly on every one.
If your license is expired, it stops counting fast. Even one day past it, most counters will turn it down. Then you're scrambling to find backup papers.
A photo of your license on your phone won't count. Neither will a scan or a notarized copy.
Robert Williams even had to post bond. Detroit police treated him like he was the shoplifter.
Your license is supposed to prove you're you. The ACLU's page shows the opposite happened to Robert. His own license photo got him arrested.
The DMV won't take a photocopy of your papers. But police took a blurry video instead. Police needed less proof to jail Robert than the DMV needs to give him a license. Police checked the least when his freedom was at stake.
Robert Williams fought back in court. If police ever say your face matched, call a lawyer.
Look at the expiration date on your license. Make sure your name is spelled the same on every paper. Keep your original papers together somewhere safe.
Under federal rules, officials check your papers first. Detroit police arrested him with no other evidence.
First, a clerk holds your original card in their hands. Next, the clerk makes sure every date and name matches. Then someone compares your face to the photo on it. Robert only got the face comparison.
You can read much more about this in the CaraComp write-up. You can see every paper that counts on that page.
Cara Candelario wrote up these cases. Most people who look alike aren't the same person. Police should treat a face match as a start, never proof.
Save a lawyer's number in your phone. If police bring up a face match, stay calm. Ask them what other proof they have.
Robert Williams sued Detroit and its police department. Detroit settled and changed the rules for its police. The ACLU counts at least 7 wrongful arrests.
Your license proves who you are at the DMV. But police can use it against you too.
Tonight, take out your license and your passport. Check the dates and every spelling of your name. This week, renew anything that's expired.
You can get arrested with no warning at all. Get your real papers ready tonight.
Every day we take one story like this and make it simple. Subscribe and tap the bell. Tomorrow's is free too. See you in today's briefing. If this helps, a like and a subscribe help us keep it coming.
