Improving Police Behavior through Artificial Intelligence: Pre-Registered Experimental Results in Two Large US Agencies
Ian T. Adams , Kyle McLean , Geoff Alpert
Abstract
Police body-worn cameras (BWCs) create huge reservoirs of data showing police behavior, but only a small percentage of this information is ever reviewed due to the demands of human-led review and auditing of footage. One potential solution to the time demand is the use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools to automate this task, with the promise that this information can effectively shape police behavior. In two pre-registered, randomized controlled trials in two large US police agencies, we find mixed support for changes in officer behavior when using AI-led auditing. Specifically, officers in an agency under consent decree significantly reduced levels of substandard professionalism, while officers in an agency not facing those pressures significantly increased the number of highly professional public interactions. Results suggest that AI-led auditing of police BWC footage can shape officer conduct.
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Citation Information
Citations: 9 (as of September 2026)
Cite this work
Ian T. Adams, Kyle McLean, Geoff Alpert (2024). Improving Police Behavior through Artificial Intelligence: Pre-Registered Experimental Results in Two Large US Agencies. CrimRxiv. https://doi.org/10.21428/cb6ab371.160e914f
@article{adams2024,
title = {Improving Police Behavior through Artificial Intelligence: Pre-Registered Experimental Results in Two Large US Agencies},
author = {Ian T. Adams and Kyle McLean and Geoff Alpert},
journal = {CrimRxiv},
year = {2024},
doi = {10.21428/cb6ab371.160e914f},
url = {https://doi.org/10.21428/cb6ab371.160e914f}
} Related publications
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