Apple:The Find My program has cost the city of Denver, US $3.76 million in: compensation and damages. In 2022, the city’s police officers mistakenly break into a woman’s house looking for a stolen car and a gun.
According to a CNN report, Denver Police They want to find a stolen car full of guns, bullets and money. In this case, the police used Apple’s Find My technology on another iPhone: getting a car. However, the police picked the wrong house in a very large area to enter and arrest the thieves.
Because of this misguided attack, the 78-year-old Ruby Johnson filed a case against the police. As compensation, the city is paying Johnson an award of $3.76 million.
In addition, the prosecutors – Detective Gary Staab and Sgt. Gregory Buschy – was also criticized as an individual. Denver police had already cleared both men, but the jury disagreed.
How Apple’s Find My app helped
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) brought the case on Johnson’s behalf. The lawsuit alleges that the raid was based on “alleged locations from the Find My iPhone app that officers did not understand and were not trained in.”
According to the complaint, police relied on a “Find My” ping from an iPhone 11 that may have been in the stolen vehicle. However, the identified areas also included sections of six other properties in four urban areas.
In a statement, Johnson’s attorney Tim Macdonald said: “We are disappointed by the lack of training or change in policy and hope that the increase in the penalty award will send a strong message that the police department must take the constitutional rights of residents seriously.”
The ACLU and the jury concluded that the two police officers who ordered the raid had no reason to identify Johnson’s home as the target.
In addition, the officers must pay approximately $1.25 million each in punitive damages and restitution. The Denver District Court Clerk said the city has not appealed the decision.
