(NewsNation) — Interest in artificial intelligence has been rising in many industries, and law enforcement is no exception as agencies are increasing their use of AI.
With law enforcement, the application of AI means significant changes to policing that make it harder for anyone to be above the law, including police officers.
All over the country, police bodycams are capturing thousands of hours of footage every day. But not all that footage gets seen, something Truleo co-founder and CEO Anthony Tassone hopes to change.
“Most people would be surprised to learn less than 1% of police body-camera videos are ever reviewed, so with Truleo, we can scan and analyze 100% of the video at a department,” Tassone said.
Using AI, Truleo’s software can do the job in seconds.
Tassone calls it a valuable, “virtual sergeant” for short-staffed departments.
Bodycam data can also help with training or be used to demonstrate good policing outweighs the bad.
“AI is both transcribing the video immediately, it separates out the officer from the speaker which is really unique,” Tassone said. “And so in the blue, you can see officer language, and in the gray, you see other language. Other people that are at the scene.”
Aurora, Colorado, is one of two dozen departments where Truleo is at work, with APD adding another layer of AI to help catch criminals faster.
“We’re able to almost pursue somebody from the onset initial crime through cyber, and that is going to be huge,” said Chief Art Acevedo.
Another AI-driven tool, Hexagon, can alert detectives as soon as a crime is reported to dispatch.
“Through AI, it notifies the relevant detective, so they can get to the scene and solve the crime and get the evidence and track down the perpetrator almost instantaneously,” said Hexagon Senior Vice President of Global Public Safety Bill Campbell.
Law enforcement is also relying more on AI-enhanced cameras as well.
In North Carolina, highway patrols use tech to ticket commercial truckers who aren’t wearing a seatbelt or have a phone in their hand.
More city buses are also getting AI too in order to target and cite drivers illegally parked in bus lanes.
But as with other industries, law enforcement is proceeding with caution.
“As this AI continues to evolve, I think part of the conversation has to be how far do we take it? And what are the possibilities of AI becoming self-aware? The next thing you know, AI robotics join up and decide they don’t need us, right,” Acevedo said.
In the future, more police bodycams could use 5G and real-time technology, allowing AI to immediately trigger a more targeted response.
In some cities, police unions have won or continue to demand higher pay or annual stipends for additional duties linked to operating bodycams.