Last Updated on March 14, 2025
Despite what you may see on TV, being a police officer involves more than issuing tickets, making arrests, searching crime scenes, talking to witnesses, and interrogating suspects. One thing they leave out on the procedurals is all the paperwork officers must fill out as part of their jobs. However, a new AI technology called Draft One aims to dramatically reduce the time police spend filling out crime and arrest reports. But can AI be trusted to write things as crucial as crime police reports? Here’s what defense attorney Peter M. Liss has to say on the topic.
How Does Draft One Work?
Draft One is a new software from Axon that uses the same artificial intelligence technology as ChatGPT to generate police reports based on the audio from body-worn camera footage. Officers are encouraged to narrate the activities they encounter as they do their job so the law enforcement technology can create a report based on the script from their body cams.
Whereas it can take an officer 30 to 45 minutes for an officer to write a typical report, AI can produce one in less than 10 seconds. After the report is generated, it is up to the officer to review its factuality, make necessary edits, and sign it to attest to the document’s accuracy.
Proponents claim the reports can be entirely accurate and even read more clearly than a similar document written by a human officer. However, many defense lawyers and police watchdogs question the legal implications of using artificial intelligence to write something that plays a critical role in the criminal justice system.
How Are Police Reports Used?
To understand how this technology could affect the justice system, you must first understand how crime reports are used. First, it’s worth recognizing that “Police reports aren’t generally admissible as evidence,” says Liss. They still play an essential role in a criminal case, though, as they are reviewed by the District Attorney and play a critical role in the department’s decision on whether or not to press charges.
Beyond that, Liss says, “officers rely on their reports to refresh their recollection of events or are used by defense counsel to show report is different from what officer testified to.” Finally, crime victims can use the reports as evidence in insurance claims.
Cons of Police Using AI-Generated Arrest Reports
With something as life or death as the decision to file criminal charges, prosecutors must have an accurate idea of what transpired. Even a tiny detail can sometimes make or break a case. For example, in a DUI case, the officer must watch a suspect for 15 minutes before giving them the breathalyzer to ensure they don’t belch, vomit, or regurgitate. If the officer fails to do so or cannot accurately recall doing so while on the stand, this can be grounds for the breathalyzer test to be rendered inadmissible, which could be enough to result in the charges being dropped entirely.
If all officers fully read the entire substance of the report and correct any factual errors before submitting them, using AI wouldn’t be much of a concern. However, if officers rubber-stamp the reports without properly reviewing their entire contents, this could present a problem. This issue presents real threats too. King County, Washington, has already prohibited the use of police reports written by Draft One after noting that one such report mentioned an officer not at the scene. The local prosecutor warned officers that signing reports with factual errors could destroy an entire case and result in an officer being added to the Brady list, a compilation of law enforcement officials known to provide untrue statements or unreliable testimony.
Finally, some prosecutors have expressed concern that officers may use them to avoid taking responsibility for the content of their reports during legal investigations by claiming they didn’t actually write a questionable report.
Benefits of Using AI Crime Reports
There are some significant advantages to using AI in this context. For one, it could help free up police time so they can focus more on preventing and solving crimes rather than paperwork. Additionally, those who have used the technology note that it can be very useful and even document more information than an officer would typically include in their report. For example, one officer said his AI-generated report documented the color of the vehicle that suspects ran from after the body cam picked up another officer mentioning this information.
The most significant benefit seen by defense attorneys though, is the fact that officers will be prone to provide more narration while using their body cams. Liss says, “Body-worn camera narratives are good because they are transparent and allow both sides to evaluate the case.”
How to Defend Someone Against an AI-Generated Crime Report
On that note, Liss says that if he did discover an officer used AI to compile his report, he worked hard to examine the officer’s firsthand knowledge of the events during cross-examination. He would question what information was provided to the computer and the report’s overall reliability and accuracy. He says he may even try to show that the officer’s “conclusion of guilt was computer generated and not his own human determination.”
Will Axon Reports Feature Inherent Bias?
While not outrightly racist or otherwise biased like some AI systems, ChatGPT has been documented to have hidden racial and gender biases. Whether or not these biases could further amplify biases held by police officers remains to be seen. However, Liss warns of prosecutors making different charging decisions depending on whether or not Draft One’s reports are nuetral or built with bias.
Is Draft One Used in San Diego?
Not yet. However, the San Diego Police Department is often at the forefront of law enforcement technology adoption, and it would not be surprising if they jumped on this bandwagon sooner rather than later. For now, though, the only police departments in California known to use AI technology for these purposes are East Palo Alto, Campbell, San Mateo, Bishop, and Fresno.
If you have been accused of any crime, contact a defense attorney as soon as possible. Only a skilled criminal lawyer like Peter Liss can help evaluate your case and determine the best course of action, whether that means challenging the police report, negotiating a plea bargain, or filing a pre-trial motion for dismissal. When you need legal representation, please call (760) 643-4050 or (858) 486-3024 to schedule a free initial consultation.
