How AI can Improve Law Enforcement Operations

Last month, a drone from Skyfire | AI was credited with saving a police officer’s life after a dramatic 2 a.m. traffic stop. Many statistics show that AI impacts billions of lives, but sometimes a story still hits me emotionally. Let me share what happened. Skyfire AI, an AI Fund portfolio company led by CEO Don Mathis, operates a public safety program in which drones function as first responders to 911 calls. Particularly when a police department is personnel-constrained, drones can save officers’ time while enhancing their situational awareness. For example, many burglar alarms are false alarms, maybe set off by moisture or an animal. Rather than sending a patrol officer to drive over to discover this, a drone can get there faster and determine if an officer is required at all. If the alarm is real, the drone can help officers understand the situation, the locations of any perpetrators, and how best to respond. In January, a Skyfire AI drone was returning to base after responding to a false alarm when the police dispatcher asked us to reroute it to help locate a patrol officer. The officer had radioed a few minutes earlier that he had pulled over a suspicious vehicle and had not been heard from since. The officer had stopped where two major highways intersect in a complex cloverleaf, and dispatch was unsure exactly where they were located. From the air, the drone rapidly located the officer and the driver of the vehicle he had pulled over, who it turned out had escaped from a local detention facility. Neither would have been visible from the road — they were fighting in a drainage ditch below the highway. Because of the complexity of the cloverleaf’s geometry, the watch officer (who coordinates police activities for the shift) later estimated it would have taken 5-7 minutes for an officer in a patrol car to find them. From the aerial footage, it appeared that the officer still had his radio, but was losing the fight and unable to reach it to call for help. Further, it looked like the assailant might gain control of his service weapon and use it against him. This was a dire and dangerous situation. Fortunately, because the drone had pinpointed the location of the officer and his assailant, dispatch was able to direct additional units to assist. The first arrived not in 5-7 minutes but in 45 seconds. Four more units arrived within minutes. The officers were able to take control of the situation and apprehend the driver, resulting in an arrest and, more important, a safe outcome for the officer. Subsequently, the watch officer said we’d probably saved the officer’s life. [Reach length limit; full text: https://lnkd.in/g3QdKp5Q ]

Law enforcement faces a critical choice: embrace AI and data science to improve public safety outcomes or risk saving fewer lives. Think about this: A gunshot rings out at 2:00 AM. The traditional process relies on someone hearing it, deciding to call 911, and trying to describe the location from inside their apartment without the benefit of being able to visually confirm the location. (That's assuming they call in the first place—as 80-90% of gunfire goes unreported.) Now imagine an AI-powered response with an audio-recording snippet of the incident. The digital process gives instant detection and the precise location of the gunshot. Officers can now respond minutes faster to the precise location versus driving around the neighborhood in circles. This isn’t science fiction - it's happening today. These AI-powered technologies transform police response and, as a result, save lives and capture and preserve evidence, which is critical in improving case closure rates. AI isn't replacing officers or human judgment either. AI prioritizes the effective use of limited resources where they need to be. Police departments struggling with staff shortages of 15-30% have a golden opportunity to alleviate some of this burden by leveraging AI. It's clear that AI and data science are transforming law enforcement’s ability to prevent crimes and protect communities. Be part of the solution and define the future of public safety. Give public safety leaders better tools to make faster, smarter decisions that save lives.

How about a viable AI use case that positively impacts public safety? We've recently introduced our latest Harmony AI feature, designed to automate alarm calls to 911 Centers. Here is the problem (or safety gap) it aims to solve: => Today, 20-30% of calls to 911 come from alarm companies. => 98%+ of these alarms are FALSE (not a typo). => 911 centers have staffing shortages of ~30% on average. => Alarm calls can be put on hold when shortages are severe. => These calls are projected to grow to > 50% by 2027. One could argue that the status quo isn’t sustainable. What we aim to solve: The standard operating procedures for handling alarm calls are fairly structured. To streamline this process, we leverage AI to answer these calls, gather relevant information, and then summarize and package it into a digital alert that is processed without needing 911 telecommunicator involvement. Early results are encouraging: => 50-80% of alarm calls can be processed automatically. => This means 10-24% of all calls are processed automatically. => Freeing up critical capacity for overworked and understaffed centers. => While also eliminating hold times when present. Multiple fail-safes are included to ensure the 911 telecommunicator is still in control. For example, the technology is only used on alarm calls, not 911 emergency calls. The ECC can tailor the technology to its protocols. The AI repeats information for alarm operator confirmation, and the telecommunicator can listen to recorded answers as needed. Why should you care? I believe we would rather have 911 telecommunicators focus on emergency calls from our family, friends, and colleagues than be distracted by alarm calls that are often FALSE. The safety and security technologies we rely on, personally and professionally, aren't truly 'intelligent' when identifying verified emergencies. This can lead to unintended consequences and a false sense of security. Without a better solution, the situation will only get worse in the coming years, putting more pressure on an already constrained and under-appreciated public safety network. We believe that by combining artificial and human intelligence, we make the heroes who work every day to keep us safe superheroes. The job isn’t done, as the downstream implications of false alarms on those who respond to the calls are still a problem. But one step at a time. Check out the first comment to learn more.