AI police reports via bodycam save 20 minutes per case but raise courtroom concerns

The Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office has completed a pilot program testing Axon’s Draft One artificial intelligence technology, which creates initial police report drafts from body camera audio. The technology saves deputies an average of 20 minutes per report, freeing up hundreds of hours across the department for patrol duties and community engagement rather than paperwork.

What you should know: Draft One uses AI to transcribe body camera audio into preliminary police reports, though multiple safeguards ensure human oversight remains central to the process.

• Deputies must modify at least 10% of the AI-generated draft before submission, and the software includes random check phrases that force officers to read through the entire report.
• The technology has been in use since May 2024, with reports showing deputies typically write 25 or more reports monthly, spending several hours on documentation.
• All reports generated using Draft One include a disclaimer noting AI assistance was used in their creation.

The big picture: Law enforcement agencies are increasingly adopting AI tools to reduce administrative burdens, but legal experts warn about potential courtroom challenges and bias concerns.

• Corporate lawyer Ajay K. Mago cautioned about the “ship & fix” model where companies release imperfect products, and noted that AI training data could introduce demographic biases into reports.
• “If it’s been trained strictly on a certain demographic, or trained specifically on certain ways of speaking, then it could potentially produce a report that then is influenced by what its inherent biases,” Mago explained.

What they’re saying: Sheriff Gary Caruana views the technology as essential for proactive policing and recruitment advantages.

• “It saves time, so we can go out and be proactive and save lives and prevent crimes from happening, versus sitting in the parking lot writing reports,” Caruana said.
• Sergeant Troy Zellman emphasized officer control over the final product: “I could stand up in court and say I was 100% in control of what was in this report. I could, at any time, taken something out, added it.”

Addressing legal concerns: Both Axon and department officials have prepared responses to potential courtroom challenges, though experts suggest defense attorneys may attempt to question AI-generated reports.

• Axon claims it “rigorously tests” its products “to reduce inherent bias in the models before products are released” and continuously monitors for unforeseen bias instances.
• Mago warned that over-reliance on AI could create “impeachment fodder” if officers become too removed from the report-writing process, potentially affecting the document’s reliability as a recollection tool.

Why this matters: The pilot program represents a broader trend of AI adoption in law enforcement, with agencies seeking to balance efficiency gains against legal and ethical considerations as these tools face inevitable courtroom scrutiny.