Miami-Dade Police Academy Adds AI Training for Future Officers

For those unfamiliar with artificial intelligence (AI) trends, a police academy agreement to teach human officers how to better partner with computer assistants might sound like the beginning of a sci-fi movie.

But Miami Dade College is taking very real steps to train police cadets on how to use AI assistance in everything from policy questions to de-escalation, Truleo CEO Anthony Tassone tells New Times. According to Truleo, a law enforcement-specific AI company, Miami Dade College will be the first police academy in the nation to implement AI training when the first courses begin this summer.

The agreement with the college, which trains officers for 35 South Florida police departments, doesn't mean area departments will immediately begin using AI assistants. But small town and suburban police departments nationwide have bought the technology for their officers, Tassone says.

Tassone tells New Times Truleo will complement officers' body cameras, typically chest-mounted cameras officers use to record interactions between themselves and the public. Though often immensely helpful in parsing out the details of an encounter for officers and civilians, body cameras also tend to be a magnifying glass for controversy.

Despite their widespread and growing use, evidence regarding their efficacy is mixed, according to a 2022 report by the National Institute of Justice (NIJ). The report found that by 2018, more than 80 percent of large police departments and about 47 percent of all police departments had implemented the use of body cameras. It calls for additional research on their effectiveness.

One major concern for police watchdog groups is that body camera recordings are generally not constantly monitored; they're only reviewed after an incident where the use of force is questioned, Tassone says. A police department with Truleo technology, however, would have its body camera recordings monitored by AI anytime the camera is turned on.

Tassone adds that an AI-assisted police force makes sense in today's modern world. Truleo is essentially ChatGPT for police, he tells New Times. Officers can use it to learn about everything from case law and police department policies to state law.

"Students were coming to class asking about Truleo because they were already using it," Tassone says. "So, [Miami Dade College] wanted to make this part of the curriculum."

Though Truleo monitors every minute of body-cam footage and offers advice on how to handle a situation, it won't help officers drum up a reason for arrest, Tassone says.

"So, the AI could say, 'Instead of telling the woman to put out the cigarette, tell her some people try to use smoke to hide the smell of alcohol, and I'm just making sure that's not the case. So, could you please put it out for me?'" Tassone says.

It will also commend officers when they've followed de-escalation protocols or handled a noncompliant person with a properly measured amount of force, which is ultimately the point of the technology.

Additionally, Truleo could aid those who have experienced trauma on the job, connecting them with local mental health professionals.

"Cadets coming into the academy or workforce are always really bright-eyed and bushy-tailed," he says. "But, with the trauma of the job day in and day out, they need something in the car where they can say, 'I'm not sleeping because of what I saw last week.' AI can help find them treatment."

Truleo donated the technology, which Tassone calls "a commitment to the next generation of policing," to Miami Dade College.

According to Rick Clements, director of the School of Justice at Miami Dade College, the donation represents a significant step forward in how professors prepare cadets for the field.

"This will give our academy students a competitive edge and a deeper understanding of how to responsibly integrate technology into public safety," he said in a press release.