Fargo Police admit errors in Angela Lipps investigation, implement new AI policy

FARGO, N.D. (KVRR) — Fargo Police Chief Dave Zibolski admits the department made a few mistakes in the case of Angela Lipps. And he says they are continuing to look into what went wrong.

“It really requires additional investigative work on our part. Both in terms of Ms. Lipps, but also some of these other folks who have come to our attention, having submitted all of these surveillance photos,” said Zibolski.

One of the biggest factors in this case was the use of AI facial recognition. Initially, the department said detectives had used a tool from the North Dakota State and Local Intelligence Center. But, Zibolski stated the department had received images from West Fargo Police Department with their AI software that caused part of the mistake.

“Our detectives believed they did not have enough evidence to charge any person of interest for this incident that took place. And it should be noted that when we use different tools such as facial recognition, that is just a tool. It is not based solely on what we’re going to send to the State’s Attorney’s office for charges,” said Pete Nielsen, West Fargo Police Chief.

West Fargo Police Chief Pete Nielsen said his department has been using the AI software since 2020. He says the software is similar to what the state uses and has only permitted two trained officers to use it.

Zibolski announced a new policy that will no longer rely on other agencies, except for the state. Nielsen says Fargo Police asked for their help with the software within the last week.

“We used it as a tool, as a possible suspect, and at that point, when we send the information out to the other entities, the other agencies, it’s their job to look through that investigative tool and figure out if they should do charges or not,” said Nielsen.

Zibolski declined to issue an apology for Lipps’ arrest until the investigation is over. As of now, the case is still ongoing.

Following the news conference, an attorney for Lipps responded, “We will continue our efforts until Angela is fully cleared of suspicion and actions that led to her being charged are corrected.”

Read the full statement here:

“Today’s news conference confirms what we have seen in our own investigation. It appears that the Fargo Police Department did not undertake basic investigative efforts before causing a warrant and charges to issue for Angela Lipps. Officers knew that Angela was a Tennessee resident, and we have seen no investigation by officers to determine whether she traveled to or was in North Dakota at the time of the bank thefts. Instead, an officer used AI facial recognition as a shortcut for basic investigation, resulting in an innocent woman being detained and transported halfway across the country to answer for charges that she had nothing to do with. We appreciate that the department appears to be making efforts to correct these issues in the future. But this recognition and correction would never have happened if Angela had not stepped forward. We continue our investigation to ensure that all wrongdoing is examined and accounted for. We will continue our efforts until Angela is fully cleared of suspicion and actions that led to her being charged are corrected.”