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Fact or Fiction: Woody Harrelson's picture used to catch a thief?

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Posted at 2:04 PM, May 20, 2019
and last updated 2019-05-20 17:04:20-04

(KGTV) - Did NYPD use a picture of actor Woody Harrelson to catch a thief using facial recognition software?

Yes.

The actual security footage of a beer thief was too pixelated and produced no match in the department's facial recognition software. But since he looked like Woody Harrelson, they put a photo of the actor into the database. It produced several matches and led to an arrest.

The NYPD says it never arrests someone on facial recognition alone.