Head of Cop Union Opposes AI-Police Reports — For Now

Last week, we broke the news that the San Diego Police Department is weighing acquiring artificial intelligence software that can assist officers in writing police reports. In July, the department issued a request for information from companies that can provide such a program, writing their goal is to “enhance efficiency in report writing, thereby allowing officers to respond more quickly to calls for service.”

It’s far from a done deal. Department spokesperson Ashley Nicholes said they’re just in the “exploration phase” and have no timeline to actually acquire such technology.

Still, the prospect of AI-police reports garnered opposition from some community leaders and activists, like Khalid Alexander, the president of Pillars of the Community, an organization dedicated to supporting individuals impacted by law enforcement.

It’s just one more example of them trying to take any kind of humanity away from policing,” Alexander said.

Alexander’s not the only one with misgivings. It turns out the department contracting with a company for this kind of AI-enabled software is also opposed by a pretty high-profile figure in policing: Jared Wilson, the head of the San Diego police union.