FORT COLLINS, Colo. — Artificial Intelligence (AI) has now found its way into police departments. The Fort Collins Police Department is the latest to integrate AI into its operations, specifically to help write their crime reports.
Since launching a pilot program in April, Fort Collins Police Services has generated nearly 300 reports using AI. Right now, 70 officers are testing the new system.
“There's no limitation on what case they can and can't use it on,” said Sgt. Bob Younger.
The AI tool, known as Draft One, was developed by Axon, the company behind the department’s body-worn cameras. Draft One leverages audio recordings from these cameras to produce initial drafts of reports. Younger said Draft One distinguishes itself from other AI writing tools like ChatGPT by eliminating the creative aspect, focusing solely on accuracy and factual representation.
Younger explained that Draft One poses clarifying questions and refrains from making assumptions or additional commentary. After an officer completes a recording, it is uploaded to Fort Collins Police’s evidence.com cloud. The software then prompts the officer with questions about the crime and generates a draft report within seconds.
However, officers cannot simply copy and paste the draft. The software requires them to add their observations and verify the accuracy of the information before finalizing the report. Officers must sign an acknowledgment statement, affirming they have reviewed and edited the report as needed and are willing to testify to the accuracy if required.
“I feel very confident that this system is accurate and will not be abused,” Younger said. “That draft report is really just a building block for the report that the officer then modifies to fit exactly what they observed.”
The implementation of Draft One has resulted in a 66% reduction in report-writing time compared to traditional methods, allowing officers to spend more time in the field.
“We’re constantly trying to increase efficiency and find new ways to utilize technology to reduce workload so officers can engage more with the community,” Younger said.
The department is still in the process of evaluating the system and addressing challenges, such as difficulties with transcription in noisy environments. Officers are encouraged to narrate their observations to aid in accurate reporting.
While the system has not yet been used in court trials, Younger remains confident in its reliability.