This is segment of an article in the Maine Sunday Telegram yesterday by Morgan Womack called "Southern Maine police test AI tool to generate their reports." Yet, there are no published guidelines for the police at either of the agencies trying this out (Portland Police Department and the Cumberland County Sheriff's Department).
These police reports are important. They are used by prosectors when deciding whether to charge a case and what to charge. They are used by judges in deciding whether to set bail and the amount of bail to set. They are used by defense counsel in investigating and examining officers at trial and in other hearings. It seems to me that it is not too much to ask to know if the author of these very important reports are the officer on the stand or AI.
Without clear guidance and policies regarding the use of this software and the auditing of the same, I have concerns. The use of this software should not be shrouded in secrecy. If the Portland Police and Cumberland County Sheriff's think this is a helpful and accurate tool that cuts down on the manpower needed to write reports, then fine. But let's not test the theory in secret with real world cases where defendant's and their lawyers have no idea that it is AI writing the police report.
This is segment of an article in the Maine Sunday Telegram yesterday by Morgan Womack called "Southern Maine police test AI tool to generate their reports." Yet, there are no published guidelines for the police at either of the agencies trying this out (Portland Police Department and the Cumberland County Sheriff's Department).
These police reports are important. They are used by prosectors when deciding whether to charge a case and what to charge. They are used by judges in deciding whether to set bail and the amount of bail to set. They are used by defense counsel in investigating and examining officers at trial and in other hearings. It seems to me that it is not too much to ask to know if the author of these very important reports are the officer on the stand or AI.
Without clear guidance and policies regarding the use of this software and the auditing of the same, I have concerns. The use of this software should not be shrouded in secrecy. If the Portland Police and Cumberland County Sheriff's think this is a helpful and accurate tool that cuts down on the manpower needed to write reports, then fine. But let's not test the theory in secret with real world cases where defendant's and their lawyers have no idea that it is AI writing the police report.
Full article here: https://www.pressherald.com/2024/09/29/southern-maine-police-are-testing-new-ai-software-to-write-their-police-reports/
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