apple‘s Find My app cost the city of Denver $3.76 million compensation and damages. In 2022, city police raid and rob the home of an elderly woman looking for a stolen truck and a gun.
This was reported by CNN. Denver police they were trying to find a stolen truck full of guns, ammunition and cash. For this, the police used Apple’s Find My technology in another case iPhone to locate the vehicle. But the police chose the wrong house from a large enough area to enter and catch the thieves.
78 years old because of this unwarranted raid Ruby Johnson filed a lawsuit against the police. In compensation, the city will pay Johnson a $3.76 million award.
Moreover, the accused officers – Detective Gary Staab and Sgt. Grigory Bushki – also sued as an individual. Denver police had previously cleared both men, but a jury disagreed.
How Apple’s Find My app played a role
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed a lawsuit on Johnson’s behalf. The lawsuit states that the raid was based on an “alleged location ping from the iPhone’s Find My app, which the officers did not understand and had no training for.”
According to the complaint, police relied on a “Find Me” ping from an iPhone 11 that was likely still in the stolen truck. However, the designated area included portions of six other properties across parts of four city blocks.
In a statement, Johnson’s attorney Tim McDonald said: “We are concerned about the lack of training or policy change and hope that the punitive damages award will send a strong message that the police department must take the constitutional rights of its residents seriously.”
The ACLU and the jury concluded that the two police officers who ordered the raid had no reason to single out Johnson’s home as a target.
Also, the officers must pay about $1.25 million each in penalties and restitution. The Denver District Court Clerk noted that the city has not yet appealed the verdict.
