Marketplace Tech Does AI save time in police work?
May 6, 2026
Greg Barber, a science and technology journalist who covered AI in policing for Proof News, walks through how departments are actually using AI today. He talks about tools that analyze footage, draft reports from bodycam audio, and the debate over whether these tools truly save time. He also covers costs, contractual bundling, and the legal and surveillance risks those systems raise.
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AI Automates Report Drafting
- AI in policing is mainly used for analytics and automating tedious tasks like summarizing audio into police reports.
- Greg Barber highlights DraftOne by Axon as the primary AI product that converts incident audio into report drafts for officers to edit.
Manchester Study Found No Time Savings
- A Manchester, New Hampshire study found DraftOne did not actually save officers measurable time despite perceptions it did.
- Lieutenant Matthew Barter led the independent analysis and reported being shocked the tool yielded no time savings in practice.
Perceived Efficiency Versus Training Loss
- Officers reported feeling like DraftOne reduced cognitive load even when minutes weren't saved.
- Barber notes that freed mental space may reduce critical training benefits from writing reports, like reflecting on incidents.