Apache Junction Police Department earlier this year completed a research partnership that used artificial intelligence software to analyze audio of body-worn cameras footage and produced metrics on officers’ professionalism.
The partnership with Arizona State University’s Center for Violence and Prevention & Community Safety studied the results of Truleo software.
“We entered into the research partnership with ASU and Truleo in March through September this year and Truleo paid for the technology,” said Rayna Steffen, AJPD public safety information officer. “We utilize the information provided by Truleo to look at officer interactions with our residents.”
The department’s involvement in the study was a decision by Apache Junction Police Chief Michael Pooley, she said.
Truleo has a measure of “high professionalism,” which is an AI-generated tag applied to footage when an officer provides detailed explanation or refrains from threatening force, using force or using any below-standard language when an interaction with a community member is escalated, it states at https://help.truleo.co/how-truleo-recognizes-professionalism.
“Throughout the research project, we found that Truleo recognized our resident interactions as ‘professional’ and helped document the high composure and high professionalism of the officers in our department,” Steffen said. “We utilize this information to help with training and hope to use it to highlight positive interactions with our AJ community.”
The software flags positive and potentially negative actions.
The Truleo website details the types of interactions the software detects from the audio, such as a person in crisis, domestic violence, a stop conducted by an officer where the person is not free to leave, the act of an officer searching a person or their belongings and the act of taking a person into custody. It also indicates that an officer may be encountering a First Amendment auditor, when segments of video are muted, commands or persuasive language are given by an officer in an attempt to de-escalate a noncompliant person, and expressions of gratitude from a person toward an officer, it states at https://help.truleo.co/truleo-event-labels.
Richard H. Dyer can be reached at rdyer@iniusa.org, or on X @rhdyer. To voice your opinion on this story, connect with us at AzOpinions@iniusa.org.
Meet Richard Richard Dyer has worked at Independent Newsmedia Inc. USA since 1987, starting his career in Apache Junction as a copy editor and being promoted over the years to work as the editor of the Mesa Independent, news services editor for the East Valley office in Apache Junction, managing editor for the East Valley office, news services editor for the East Valley office and eventually also for the newspapers at INI’s then-Chandler office, managing editor again and as a news editor covering Apache Junction/Gold Canyon and Queen Creek. He helped start the Florence Independent while the news editor covering Apache Junction and Mesa news. In January 2023, he became associate managing editor for the East Valley newspapers and in August 2023 became managing editor for the East Valley newspapers of Chandler/Tempe, Gilbert, Queen Creek, Florence, Mesa and Apache Junction/Gold Canyon, while also reporting on Mesa and Apache Junction/Gold Canyon.
Community: Since 2009, he has worked as a volunteer to design The Blue Guitar Magazine, Blue Guitar Jr. magazine and Unstrung magazine, which are projects of The Arizona Consortium for the Arts; and since 2014, has been overseeing the art submissions.
Education: University of Arizona with a master of arts in journalism and a bachelor of science in agricultural communication. Also continuing education at Mesa Community College in welding in a metal art sculpture class.
Random fact: Saw his first tornado on May 31, 2010, which was classified as an EF-2, as part of a stormchasing tour group.
Hobbies: He is an artist of welded-steel sculptures, selling his artwork at juried and non-juried art shows.
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