Published on: January 28, 2026, 12:41h.
Updated on: January 28, 2026, 12:53h.
- Officer admits AI facial recognition cannot solely justify the arrest at Peppermill Casino
- New deposition seeks to add Reno city as a defendant
- Proceedings continue despite ID confirmation and casino’s acknowledgment of error
A Reno police officer involved in the arrest of a truck driver at the Peppermill Casino in Reno during 2023, after the driver was incorrectly identified by the establishment’s AI facial recognition system, has now admitted that the arrest was unjustified, as indicated in recent court documents.
Officer Richard Jager conceded during a deposition on January 22 that the incident “should never have occurred,” noting post-lawsuit training that clarified the limitations of facial recognition technology in establishing probable cause.
Jager is being sued by truck driver Jason Killinger, who asserts his constitutional rights were infringed when he was wrongfully detained after being mistakenly identified by AI as a person previously banned from the casino.
According to the lawsuit, Killinger was restrained in handcuffs for approximately four out of the 11 hours he was in custody, leading to bruises and shoulder pain. He was eventually exonerated when a fingerprint analysis confirmed his identity.
Allegations Against the City of Reno
Killing’s attorney, Terri Keyser-Cooper, claims that Jager’s testimony has “transformed the entire case.”
She urged the court to allow the addition of the city of Reno as a defendant, arguing that Jager’s subsequent training on AI facial recognition demonstrates a lack of proper training regarding the technology’s limitations at the time of Killinger’s arrest.
“While Reno has updated policies and instituted training to prevent such incidents from occurring … it’s uncertain how many arrests have been wrongly made based solely on facial recognition over the years. Jager highlighted that a wrongful arrest is ‘a dreadful circumstance.’ The Reno Police Department’s failure to properly train regarding such critical issues raises questions of municipal liability.”
Body camera footage from the encounter indicated that Jager seemed to place undue trust in the AI’s “100% facial match” while overlooking significant discrepancies, including the fact that Killinger is four inches taller than the person he was misidentified as, and has blue eyes rather than hazel.
During his deposition, Jager informed Killinger’s legal representatives that he has since learned to regard such technology as “an investigative lead only,” which necessitates further verification before any arrest can be made.
Pursuit of Case Continues Despite Clear Evidence
Even after Killinger’s identity was validated and the casino admitted its facial recognition error, the prosecution did not terminate the case. Instead, they referred it for further investigation despite lacking any evidence that Killinger had ever been banned from the Peppermill.
Authorities later considered alternative justifications for the arrest, including the possibility that Killinger might have possessed a fake ID. The plaintiff has already filed a lawsuit against the Peppermill Casino, which settled prior to trial for an undisclosed sum.