The promise of body-worn cameras revolutionizing transparency and accountability in policing has fallen short in cities across the United States. ProPublica, an investigative nonprofit newsroom, is dedicated to uncovering abuses of power and offers readers the opportunity to sign up for their latest impactful stories. Despite police departments investing millions of dollars over the last decade in equipping officers with body-worn cameras, the sheer volume of recorded footage makes it nearly impossible for agencies to review it thoroughly. Instead, most of the footage remains stored away and unseen by anyone. Axon, the largest provider of police cameras and cloud storage for captured videos, now holds over 100 petabytes of footage, equivalent to more than 5, 000 years of high-definition video or 25 million copies of the blockbuster movie "Barbie" from last year. Jonathan Wender, the former police officer and head of Polis Solutions, warns that very little is done with this vast amount of body-worn camera footage, despite it being the largest source of data on police-community interactions. Wender's company, along with other companies and researchers utilizing artificial intelligence-driven tools, aims to provide solutions to process and analyze this data overload. For example, the Paterson Police Department in New Jersey has invested in Truleo, a software company that uses AI to analyze audio from bodycam videos and identify problematic officer behaviors. This allows supervisors to screen for behaviors like interrupting civilians, using profanity, using excessive force, or muting cameras.

Truleo's research indicates that officers need to improve their communication skills, particularly by introducing themselves, giving explanations, and reducing excessive commands. The software enables the Paterson Police Department to review all body-worn camera footage systematically and identify areas for improvement in officer professionalism. Other law enforcement agencies, such as the Los Angeles Police Department and various universities, are also partnering with researchers to develop AI-powered tools to analyze bodycam footage and determine ways to de-escalate interactions and prevent violence. However, the lack of transparency and disclosure remains a significant concern, as police departments often withhold findings from these AI tools and internal investigations from the public. Christopher J. Schneider, a professor studying the impact of technology on perceptions of police, expresses skepticism about whether AI tools can truly address the issues plaguing modern policing if their findings are not made public. Without transparency, the public cannot differentiate between disciplined and undisciplined officers. Schneider highlights the importance of disclosure in holding law enforcement accountable. While the potential of AI-powered analytics in processing body-worn camera footage is promising, there is a pressing need for increased transparency and public access to the findings. The current lack of disclosure, along with limitations on the use of bodycam footage, undermines the original purpose of these cameras to provide transparency and accountability in policing.