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On Tue, 24 Sept, 4:05 PM UTC
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Human reviewers, who can't keep up with all the police body cam videos, welcome AI
Human reviewers, who can't keep up with all the police body cam videos, welcome AI AI can improve police "professionalism" by monitoring officers' body camera footage, according to the first independent study on the topic. Feedback from the AI program appears to improve officers' tone, but police aren't so sure the benefits are worth the cost and the full-time surveillance
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Human reviewers can't keep up with all the police body cam videos. Now they're giving the job to AI
In this promotional video from Truleo, the company shows how its AI would have analyzed Miami-Dade police officers during the recent controversial traffic stop of NFL player Tyreek Hill. (Warning: video contains profanity) "Who will watch the watchmen?" In the age of police body cameras, the answer may be "artificial intelligence." After a decade of explosive growth, body cameras are now standard-issue for most American police as they interact with the public. The vast majority of those millions of hours of video are never watched -- it's just not humanly possible. For academics who study the everyday actions of police, the videos are an ocean of untapped data. Some are now using "large language model" AI's -- think ChatGPT -- to digest that information and produce new insights. "For us, it's a game changer," says Jennifer Eberhardt, a psychology professor at Stanford whose work on race and crime won her a MacArthur "genius grant." She leads a team of researchers who used AI to help review and analyze videos of nearly 600 traffic stops by Oakland police. "We could look at the first 27 seconds of the stop, the first roughly 45 words that the officer spoke, and we could use this model to predict whether that driver was going to be handcuffed, searched or arrested by the end of the stop," she says. The research found the encounters were more likely to escalate when officers started the stop by giving orders, rather than reasons for the interaction. While academics are using AI from anonymized videos to understand larger processes, some police departments have started using it to help supervise individual officers -- and even rate their performance. "It's an early warning system to address not just bad behavior, [but] good behavior," says Nishant Joshi, chief of police in Alameda, California. When he took over as chief three years ago, he brought in a pilot version of Truleo, a system that analyzes automated transcriptions of body camera videos to assesses how officers perform. On his computer, he looks up Truleo's assessment of a recent traffic stop. The AI has found the Alameda police officer performed with a "high degree of professionalism." "'The reason for the stop was quickly explained to the occupants,'" Joshi reads from the AI's summary. "So it realized that the officer said something like, 'The reason I'm pulling you over is you were speeding, you gotta be careful, it's dangerous.'" The system will also flag swearing or abusive language -- by the officer or other people at the scene. Joshi says he especially appreciates that it can pick out instances in which members of the public swear at the officer and the officer remains professional, a situation that might otherwise go unappreciated by supervisors. "I send out praise a lot," Joshi says. "And Truleo has a feature in there that you can snip out a certain portion of an interaction and send the officer a compliment on how they perform." Joshi believes the system makes it easier for supervisors to catch the bad habits of officers and reinforce the good, and is well worth the $36,000 annual price tag. Larger departments pay more for the service. Truleo says 30 police agencies now use the product, including the New York Police Department. AI's ability to mold officers' behavior has been tested by a new independent study led by Ian Adams of the University of South Carolina. It looked at Truleo's effects on officers and control groups at two agencies, the police department in Aurora, Colo. and the sheriff's office in Richland County, SC. "The difference that we see in these findings is, you know, in [Aurora] it's driving the rate of low professionalism down, which is good," Adams says. "And [in Richland County], it's raising the rate of highly professional encounters, which is also good." A pre-publication executive summary of the research says Truleo "nearly doubled the incidence of 'highly professional behavior'" among Richland deputies whose videos were monitored by Truleo, and who were able to interact with the system as it evaluated them. Adams says he was also surprised by officers' apparent openness to being judged by AI. While some had misgivings, others liked the machine's impartiality. But not every rollout of Truleo has gone smoothly. "AI looking over us -- when does it stop?" says Mike Solan, president of the Seattle Police Officers Guild. When media reports revealed early last year that the Seattle Police Department was trying Truleo, it took the union by surprise. "They went behind our backs and rolled this thing out," Solan says. "They were indeed spying on us. And when we caught them, they panicked." In a statement to NPR, the Seattle Police Department wrote, "SPD cancelled its contract with Truleo in early 2023, no longer has any relationship with the company, and is not paying for the product." Solan says he's not opposed to Truleo per se, but he says how it's used is something that should be negotiated in the union contract. In November, the Seattle City Council set aside $250,000 for police to continue to use Truleo, but the department has yet to renew its relationship with the company. Truleo's co-founder, Anthony Tassone, says Truleo works best in departments where officers are aware of the AI and can watch how it assesses them. "Officers devour this information. They're in the car, they rewatch their footage. They're like athletes watching last night's game," Tassone says. But that raises a question: will officers simply cater to the demands of the software? Adams says Truleo is clearly following a formula -- for instance, officers who use more than 25 words to explain something get points for "professionalism." He says some officers told the researchers they were purposely playing the game according to Truleo's rules. "For the research team, we're sort of left with a 'So what?'" he says. He calls it a philosophical question. "Does it matter that there's not a true change of heart, versus an officer figuring out, 'Oh, this is just what I'm supposed to do?'" he asks. "It's something to consider in this brave new world, I guess."
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As the volume of police body camera footage grows, human reviewers struggle to keep up. Law enforcement agencies are turning to AI for assistance, sparking debates about privacy and accountability.
In recent years, the widespread adoption of body cameras by police departments across the United States has led to an unprecedented influx of video footage. This surge in data has created a significant challenge for law enforcement agencies, as human reviewers struggle to keep pace with the sheer volume of content that needs to be analyzed 1.
To address this mounting issue, many police departments are turning to artificial intelligence (AI) as a potential solution. AI systems are being developed and implemented to assist in the review process, with the aim of streamlining operations and improving efficiency 2.
The AI systems being employed are designed to analyze body camera footage quickly and identify key elements such as:
By flagging these important moments, AI can help human reviewers focus their attention on the most critical parts of the footage, potentially saving time and resources 1.
While the implementation of AI in body camera footage review offers potential benefits, it has also sparked debates and raised concerns among privacy advocates and civil rights groups. Some of the key issues include:
As the technology continues to evolve, law enforcement agencies are working to strike a balance between leveraging AI's efficiency and addressing the concerns raised by various stakeholders. Some departments are implementing strict guidelines for AI use, while others are exploring hybrid models that combine AI analysis with human review 1.
The introduction of AI in body camera footage review has the potential to significantly impact policing practices and community relations. Proponents argue that it could lead to:
However, critics caution that over-reliance on AI could erode trust between law enforcement and communities if not implemented thoughtfully and transparently 2.
Some US police departments are experimenting with AI chatbots to write crime reports, aiming to save time and improve efficiency. However, this practice has sparked debates about accuracy, racial bias, and the potential impact on the justice system.
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The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has raised alarm over the increasing use of AI in drafting police reports, highlighting potential threats to civil liberties and the integrity of the justice system.
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The International Association of Chiefs of Police conference showcases AI's growing role in law enforcement, from virtual reality training to integrated data systems, highlighting the push for widespread adoption.
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An exploration of how AI is impacting the criminal justice system, highlighting both its potential benefits and significant risks, including issues of bias, privacy, and the challenges of deepfake evidence.
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A groundbreaking AI tool capable of analyzing 81 years' worth of detective work in just 30 hours is being trialed by police forces. This technology promises to revolutionize cold case investigations and potentially solve long-standing unsolved crimes.
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