Phoenix police test AI tool from Axon that creates draft reports to speed up paperwork

The Phoenix Police Department is testing an artificial intelligence tool to see if it speeds up paperwork and allows officers to spend more time on the streets.

Axon Draft One was designed to generate draft incident reports based on audio from body-worn cameras.

“One of the biggest complaints I’ve heard from officers since being on council is how many hours they spend writing those reports. And they have been asking for this tool to come for a long time. We’re thrilled to finally have this pilot program,” City Councilwoman and Vice Mayor Ann O’Brien told KTAR News 92.3 FM’s The Mike Broomhead Show on Thursday.

The tool is currently being tested by personnel in certain Mountain View Precinct bureaus. It is free to the Phoenix Police Department during the 90-day pilot period, which runs through Dec. 31.

“Are we able to answer more calls? Are we able to cut down on overtime? How long is it taking us to write reports?” O’Brien said about what officials hope to learn from the testing.

Axon, the Scottsdale-based law enforcement technology company that created the AI tool, said it can cut report-writing times in half.

“If we’re able to reduce their time writing reports, what it means is, hopefully, they’re out there answering more calls and helping people in our community,” O’Brien said.

Phoenix police officers get special training for AI tool pilot program

The officers participating in the pilot program are specifically trained to narrate what they are seeing during calls for service, O’Brien said.

“When that report is being drafted with this technology, it’s based off a narration of what the officer is seeing,” she said.

The officers are required to review and correct the AI-generated reports before submitting them.

“These reports are what are used by our county attorney to make charges and make cases. So, they need to be accurate,” O’Brien said.

The pilot started at the beginning of October, so it is too soon to know if it is working as designed, O’Brien said.

“We’ll get the data at the end of the year, at the end of the first three-month period, and we’ll look at that data and then make some determinations,” she said.

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