New Tool to Improve Police Video Redaction
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Law enforcement agencies spend up to eight hours manually redacting each hour of body camera video footage. When redacting video footage, users are manually drawing boxes around objects frame-by-frame. But a new tool may change that, increasing efficiency and productivity.
The Redaction Assistant launched by Axon is the first advanced artificial intelligence (AI) powered tool to be offered to law enforcement agencies and prosecutors through the Axon network. The software was designed to handle the most common objects found in body-worn videos, saving time so police officers can focus on more complex work. The Assistant can automatically identify the screens, faces and license plates in a footage. The results come through in real-time, according to the company website.
Redaction Assistant is now included in Axon’s Redaction Studio, announced in 2017.
With the new technology, the AI detects a license plate, face or screen and automatically draws a box around it so the user can then confirm whether it is an object that needs to be redacted. The workflow is streamlined so the video is redacted and ready to share with the public much more quickly, according to prnewswire.
The face detection tool detects that there is a human face in the frame and redacts it – it does not identify the individual to whom the face belongs, neither does it recognize their race, age, gender, etc. The technology is similar to what is found in almost all cell phone cameras where objects of interest, such as faces, are detected to improve the lighting conditions of the captured image.
Moji Solgi, Axon VP of AI and Machine Learning said: “We’ve put a huge focus on developing a technology that will both increase efficiency for our public safety customers and at the same time increase transparency for the public.”
The Axon AI team engaged with the AI & Policing Technology Ethics Board on Redaction Assistant and will continue to collaborate with them on future development of AI technologies. The mission of this independent board is to provide expert guidance to Axon on the development of its AI products and services, paying particular attention to its impact on communities.
