Winnebago County Sheriff’s Department to test new AI tool to reduce report-writing time

By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
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ROCKFORD — The Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office will begin using a new artificial intelligence tool designed to reduce the time deputies spend writing reports.

The department announced a pilot program utilizing Axon’s Draft One technology. The tool uses AI and body-worn camera audio to create a first draft of the written narrative for a deputy’s report. Deputies and corrections officers utilizing the tool are required to review and verify the accuracy of all reports, the department said.

“It does force you to go through the report to make sure you agree with everything that’s written,” Sgt. Nathan K. Stoneking of the Lafayette, Indiana, police department says in a video produced by Axon highlighting the technology. “There were a few things we had to edit, but I would say it probably wrote 90% of that first report.”

The pilot program will run with a select group of deputies and corrections officers to evaluate the system’s effectiveness and the affect on daily operations, Sheriff Gary Caruana said in a news release. The department will then coordinate with Axon and members of the department to assess the outcomes and determine the future use of the technology within the department.

“Our office is committed to exploring and adopting technologies that allow our deputies to spend less time on paperwork and more time serving our Winnebago County residents,” Caruana said in a news release. “By piloting Axon’s Draft One, we’re continuing to build a modern, responsive, and efficient law enforcement agency that values both innovation and service.”

Axon is a Scottsdale, Arizona-based company that primarily develops tools for the military and law enforcement. It makes equipment such as body-worn cameras and TASER stun guns. The company says officers can spend as much as 40% of their time writing reports, and its technology can produce a draft in seconds.

Caruana said the technology is designed to act as a force multiplier by streamlining report writing while maintaining the department’s standards.

This article is by Kevin Haas. Email him at khaas@rockrivercurrent.com or follow him on X at @KevinMHaas or Instagram @thekevinhaas and Threads @thekevinhaas