Police use AI to highlight clothing of suspect in Leesburg tobacco shop robbery
Police use AI to highlight clothing of suspect in Leesburg tobacco shop robbery
Leesburg Police are looking for an armed robbery suspect. And while we're used to seeing surveillance images put out by police, Leesburg did something different to help find this suspect: they used AI. FOX 5's David Kaplan reports.
LEESBURG, Va. - Leesburg Police are looking for an armed robbery suspect.
While we’re used to seeing surveillance images put out by police, Leesburg did something different to help find this suspect: they used AI.
What they're saying:
"You see the grainy image — it's harder to tell," said Michele Bowman with Leesburg Police.
The grainy image was the best the police had captured from the surveillance cameras inside this Tobacco Hut on Market Street in Leesburg around 6 p.m. Monday.
A source tells FOX 5 the suspect walked in, ordered cigarettes, and when the clerk brought them to the counter, he showed a gun, demanded money and ran out.
"Hopefully, somebody will recognize at least the sweatshirt," Bowman said.
Dig deeper:
Michele Bowman with Leesburg Police says investigators need the public's help.
They've got the grainy image, witness statements, and through that, they know the suspect was wearing a Ravens sweatshirt with a "five" on it.
But in their tweet Tuesday afternoon, they enhanced the image using ChatGPT, utilizing the artificial intelligence to provide a clearer image of the suspect's clothing.
"The sweatshirt was what we were hoping that the community, somebody would recognize something, see it and say maybe they saw him walking around," Michele Bowman, Leesburg Police
Bowman says police intentionally cropped the photo so the rendering of the face was not included, and stressed the enhanced photo would not be included as evidence in the case, that detectives will still utilize standard investigative techniques.
"Going door to door, foot patrol, checking on all the other establishments of the area where this business was, doing surveillance footage, other techniques we do use is what's going to make it into court. The AI image is just meant to show the sweatshirt," Bowman
What you can do:
Investigators are asking anyone with any information on this robbery to reach out to them.