AI facial-recognition lawsuit: City attorney accuses plaintiff of conspiracy with This Is Reno

In this episode of This Is Reno Radio, editors Kristen Hackbarth and Bob Conrad discuss the latest developments in a federal lawsuit stemming from a wrongful arrest at the Peppermill Casino. The case focuses on using facial recognition technology for arrests by the Reno Police Department.

We cover how the Reno City Attorney’s Office filed false statements in federal court documents, statements alleging a conspiracy between This Is Reno’s Conrad and the plaintiff’s attorney, Terri Keyser Cooper. The podcast also addresses concerns about AI policing practices, public records transparency and access to civil rights legal representation in northern Nevada.

This episode was recorded February 26, 2026.

The case’s origin 

The episode opens with a recap of the original incident involving Jason Killinger, who was arrested at the Peppermill Casino after being flagged by facial recognition software as someone else. Despite presenting valid identification, he was detained for about four hours and arrested for trespass by a Reno police officer.

The story gained national attention after body camera footage was published online. While widespread outside Reno, local news media have ignored the story. 

Officer apologizes, admits lack of training

Newly filed court documents reveal deposition testimony from the police officer, Richard Jager, who acknowledged he had not received training on facial recognition technology and arrests. He apologized to the plaintiff during a deposition.

Reno police held a training in September 2025, stating that facial recognition alone is not sufficient probable cause for an arrest. This occurred well after the lawsuit had already been filed. The plaintiff has moved to amend the lawsuit to include a Fourth Amendment violation and add the city of Reno as a defendant.

Fabricated claims

The episode addresses a response filed by the Reno City Attorney’s Alice Herbolsheimer that alleged case details were improperly shared with the media. Herbolsheimer wanted Keyser-Cooper investigated by the Nevada State Bar. This Is Reno’s reporting, however, came directly from the publicly filed court documents to which Herbolsheimer was responding. An errata was later filed by her correcting part of the record, though Conrad argues more needs to be corrected and clarified.

Legal and ethical questions

The discussion covers other issues, including:

• Whether previous arrests using facial recognition could face legal challenges,
• Allegations in filings that media coverage contributed to threats against the officer and
• The role of public records like PACER in court reporting.

The episode also touches on challenges in finding civil rights attorneys in Reno willing to take on cases against local police.

AI-based policing accountability

We conclude by reflecting on Increasing reliance on AI in law enforcement, transparency in public institutions, ethical responsibilities of government attorneys and the balance between judicial proceedings and public accountability through the media.

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