Fargo Police Chief Faces Scrutiny Over "Untenable" Defense of AI-Based Arrest of Tennessee Grandmother

Chief David Zibolski refuses to admit error after Fargo Police used AI facial recognition to wrongly jail a Tennessee grandmother for bank fraud.

By: AXL Media

Published: Mar 21, 2026, 7:16 AM EDT

Source: Information for this report was sourced from Inforum and Rob Port's "Plain Talk."

A Case of Mistaken Identity Driven by Artificial Intelligence

The Fargo Police Department is at the center of a growing national debate regarding the reliability of artificial intelligence in law enforcement after Tennessee grandmother Angela Lipps was wrongly arrested and jailed for months. The arrest originated from a facial recognition match that placed Lipps at the scene of a bank fraud incident in North Dakota. However, Lipps was released on Christmas Eve last year after her public defender, Jay Greenwood, provided conclusive evidence that she was in Tennessee at the time the alleged crimes occurred. Despite this clear alibi, Fargo Police Chief David Zibolski has maintained a "prickly" defense of the investigation, refusing to admit that a departmental error took place.

Chief Zibolski Defends Investigative Integrity Amid Public Outcry

In recent media interviews, Chief Zibolski has pushed back against the narrative that the arrest was based solely on a flawed AI match. He insists that his investigators possessed "more evidence" than just the facial recognition data, though he has yet to specify what that evidence entails. Critics and legal experts have questioned this claim, noting that if such evidence existed, it was never presented when Lipps' incarceration was challenged in court. The Chief's reticence to provide details, combined with his insistence that the investigation remains "open," has led to accusations from columnists and activists that the department is prioritizing self-preservation over judicial integrity.

The Logistics and Costs of a Failed Extradition

The financial and procedural fallout of the Lipps case is significant. Public defender Jay Greenwood highlighted the irony of the department's current stance, noting that the state funded her arrest in Tennessee, a flight to North Dakota, and her subsequent detention, only to dismiss the case when faced with her alibi. Greenwood pointed out that if the Fargo Police Department truly intends to recharge Lipps with "new evidence," they would be forced to restart the entire extradition process from scratch. Furthermore, he argued that the "ineffective" handling of the initial arrest has made it nearly impossible to empanel an unbiased jury in Cass County should the case ever return to trial.