The Fredericksburg Police Department is upgrading their body cameras with a “bundle” of AI capabilities.
In a Tuesday evening work session, Police Chief Betsy Mason provided a presentation to the City Council on four of seven potential upgrades the department is seeking to its Axon body cameras, devices it has deployed since 2014.
Those upgrades are part of the Axon “AI Era Bundle.” According to that company’s website are capabilities “designed to improve productivity and support decision-making” for law enforcement agencies.
Among the new features the department looks to unlock include “Draft One,” software that uses AI to transcribe audio from police interactions as captured by their body cameras. Officers will still review, approve and ultimately be responsible for the reports the software produces, Mason said.
A 90-day pilot program with Draft One last fall proved the feature “highly effective,” according to Mason, with her citing an example of one officer completing a three-hour report in just 10 minutes. That test run, which had the full support of the Commonwealth’s Attorney, experienced “no issues” across 177 narratives produced by 20 officers and detectives, according to Mason.
Mason said six other agencies in Virginia are using Axon’s Draft One, including Stafford County, which she says has processed 1,400 reports so far.
Another Axon AI Era Bundle Feature the department is interested in adding is “Translation,” which provides instant interpretation of 57 languages, a figure that Chief Mason says Axon is seeking to expand. Mason says that while the department has five members of staff fluent in Spanish, it is increasingly encountering the need to communicate in different dialects.
Similar to Draft One, “Transcription” is a third feature that converts audio to text but in the form of a searchable transcript. Chief Mason says this will allow investigators to query a particular word or phrase to see if it was used throughout a recorded interaction.
“These enhancements will greatly aid the speed and accuracy of police reports,” wrote Mason in a memo explaining the AI Era Bundle. She emphasized that law enforcement personnel will continue to review and approve all of the AI-produced records.
The department is also seeking additional front and rear-facing cameras for its fleet of police cruisers, part of Axon’s “Fleet 3” offering. The new dual-view cameras will provide additional front-facing video coverage of officer interactions, as well as monitor activity of detained individuals in the rear seat.
Fleet 3 also includes ALPR, or automatic license plate reader capabilities.
Those cameras can capture license plates across three lanes at distances up to 50 feet and at speeds of 140 miles per hour, according to Axon’s product guide.
All of the Axon AI upgrades, which total just under $2 million over five years, are to funded through the existing Capital Improvement Project, according to Mason’s memo, and contract years beyond 2027 would require an additional appropriation by City Council.
Mason told the council that all of the newly sought features are “CJIS”-approved, meaning they are compliant with the FBI’s Criminal Justice Information Systems Security Policy framework, which governs how law enforcement gathers and maintains its data.
Mason’s memo also states that any additional features available through Axon would be subject to “technical review and policy development” before they’re used in the field, a point she repeatedly emphasized at Tuesday’s work session.
Despite a tight time turnaround and concerns from several council members, the upgrades were approved just hours later at Tuesday’s regular session.
Ward 2 Councilwoman Joy Crump motioned to authorize City Manager Tim Baroody to finalize the Axon AI Era Bundle contract. Crump was seconded by Ward 4’s Chuck Frye. The motion passed unanimously, 5-0.
Ward 3’s Susanna Finn and At-Large Councilman Will Mackintosh were absent.
