Artificial intelligence is reshaping the work of police investigators

The challenges facing police agencies today are no longer the lack of evidence, but rather the “overcrowding” of it. Investigators are drowning in an ocean of digital data and recordings that can take years to decipher. From here, artificial intelligence began to redraw the map of investigative work, turning weeks of painstaking research into mere hours of intelligent analysis.

Digital Detective

According to Axios, after the first wave of artificial intelligence technologies that focused on the “street” (such as drones and license plate readers), the “second wave” targeting investigation offices began. Start-up companies such asClosure“and”Longeye“By providing police with tools capable of combing through thousands of hours of prison calls, interviews, social media posts, and photos of old cases, to find clues to the crime buried under the pile of data.

Speeding up justice in Anchorage.

In Anchorage, Alaska, the police adopted a tool…ClosureWith a contract worth $375,000. “There are cases that are dismissed simply because we do not have the human capacity to handle them,” Anchorage Police Chief Sean Case told Axios.

Case adds that AI is now helping reopen investigations of “cold cases” (a crime or incident that has not been fully solved) and missing Alaska Natives, as the technology allows new investigators to process huge case files dating back decades in a matter of hours rather than weeks.

Technical magic

These systems act as an intelligent assistant that:

Transcription: Converting audio recordings and interviews into searchable written texts.

Interpretation: Analyzing evidence in foreign or indigenous languages ​​and translating it for investigators.

Pattern Analysis: Providing alternative theories and suggesting suspects based on intersections of data.

Aaron Zelinger, CEO of… ClosureHe described this technology by saying: “We are creating an army of Watson’s assistants to serve the investigators who represent Sherlock Holmes. The goal is not to automate the decision, but rather to shed light on what humans overlook.”

Human rights concerns

Despite these successes, human rights organizations such as the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)ACLU) warning flag, noting that reliance on artificial intelligence in criminal proceedings raises serious concerns about “algorithmic bias” and invasion of privacy. The Electronic Frontier Foundation also criticizedEFFThe difficulty of the public knowing the entities that use these technologies, which complicates the process of legal accounting.

Balance of justice

These techniques are not limited to prosecutors only; But I entered a company.”JusticeText“The startup is on-line to help public defenders and defendants’ defenders navigate police camera recordings quickly, to ensure a balance of power in the courtroom.

As police become increasingly dependent on artificial intelligence, the biggest challenge remains maintaining “transparency.” The more justice relies on algorithms, the greater the need to ensure that these tools work to serve the law, not replace constitutional guarantees.