Description: An evidence photo from a Westbrook, Maine, drug bust was reported to have been unintentionally altered by an AI‑powered editing tool before being posted to Facebook, changing packaging details and creating false visual elements. The altered image reportedly led to questions and concerns over the authenticity of police evidence. The Westbrook Police Department later confirmed the use of AI, explained the error occurred while adding their patch to the photograph, and issued a public apology.
Editor Notes: See the Westbrook Police Department's public apology here: https://www.facebook.com/WestbrookPD/posts/pfbid02aDWUJAtszA81VRJJZvzPaTMA98ir18fJpLgRHKFu6ZGkZesZ3f3veWotqKq9dgvQl.
Entities
View all entitiesAlleged: Unknown AI image-editing software developer developed an AI system deployed by Westbrook Police Department, which harmed Westbrook Police Department , General public of Maine , General public of Westbrook, Maine and Epistemic integrity.
Alleged implicated AI systems: Unknown AI image-editing software and Facebook
Incident Stats
Incident ID
1155
Report Count
1
Incident Date
2025-07-01
Editors
Daniel Atherton
Incident Reports
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A Maine police department has offered a mea culpa after the agency said it inadvertently shared an AI-altered photo of drug evidence on social media.
The image from the Westbrook Police Department showed a collection of drug paraphernalia …
Variants
A "variant" is an AI incident similar to a known case—it has the same causes, harms, and AI system. Instead of listing it separately, we group it under the first reported incident. Unlike other incidents, variants do not need to have been reported outside the AIID. Learn more from the research paper.
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