From hours to minutes: how agencies are saving time with AI-powered transcription

Every second counts in public safety. When hours spent on evidence review, manual transcription, or endless report writing stand between law enforcement and justice, innovative solutions like Axon Auto-Transcribe are bridging the gap. Powered by an AI model, Automated Speech Recognition (ASR), Auto-Transcribe does not only support transcription but also drives solutions that accelerate justice, enhance accuracy, and free up critical resources for the work that matters most.

Discover how law enforcement and justice professionals are leveraging Auto-Transcribe and its connected solutions to overcome challenges, save time, and enhance their operations. From faster evidence review to streamlined report writing and beyond, these real stories demonstrate the importance of Auto-Transcribe in transforming workflows and enabling connected solutions.

Cutting time spent on report writing in half

Fort Collins Police Department, like many agencies, faces the challenge of officers spending a significant portion of their day writing police reports. In today’s demanding law enforcement landscape nearly 40% of an officer’s day is dedicated to paperwork. With Draft One, agencies are transforming report writing and cutting that time in half.

Draft One relies on the foundation of Auto-Transcribe, generating police report narratives based on body-worn camera transcripts. Officers review, edit, and sign off on the reports, ensuring accuracy and ownership. With Draft One and Auto-Transcribe, Fort Collins Police Department shared “We’re averaging 67% time-savings in our report writing. That’s 67% of the time that the officer is getting back to go back out into the community, get back out to do things that they really enjoy and engaging with our citizens.”

Finding critical evidence in seconds, not days

For Senior Investigator Tony Brown at the Schenectady District Attorney’s Office, reviewing hundreds of phone call recordings for false statements was an exhausting and time-consuming task. In one case, he had to manually sift through transcripts of over 350 calls, opening each one individually until he found the key evidence he needed. “It took me two days of monotonous work,” Brown recalled. “If I had had [Transcription Keyword Search] back then, it would have taken me seconds.”

With Axon Auto-Transcribe, this time-saving breakthrough is made possible. Brown now has a powerful tool to generate searchable transcripts of audio and video evidence to pinpoint critical statements. This feature allows investigators to quickly search for specific phrases or terms across transcripts, eliminating hours—or even days—of manual review. For cases involving large volumes of evidence, Transcript Keyword Search transforms the review process, letting investigators spend more time focusing on building stronger cases.

Focusing more on investigations instead of administrative work

For Rowlett Police Department, a Southern agency with around 100 sworn officers, creating transcripts for the district attorney’s office has historically been a time-consuming process. Detectives, already stretched thin, spent nearly four hours transcribing every hour of interviews—taking valuable time away from investigations.

With Axon Auto-Transcribe, that burden has been drastically reduced. Using Automated Speech Recognition (ASR), detectives now generate an initial transcript with the click of a button and use Transcription Assistant to make edits, completing the process in just one hour. As Lieutenant Steve Ferrie of the Criminal Investigations Division explains, “We’re estimating 65-75% time savings just by being able to push the auto-transcribe button.” This efficiency allows detectives to focus on building stronger cases and supporting victims rather than being overwhelmed with administrative tasks.

Reducing stress and burnout from manual transcription

For a Canadian agency with 200 sworn officers, transcription has been more than just a time-consuming task—it’s a significant source of physical and mental strain. The records team, responsible for transcribing body-worn camera and interview recordings for Crown prosecutors, spent up to 75% of their day typing. The repetitive nature of the work led to physical issues like stress injuries, while the violent and disturbing content often caused emotional burnout and high turnover rates.

With Axon Auto-Transcribe, this agency has transformed its approach to transcription. The Digital Evidence Manager highlights that training new transcribers, once a major hurdle, now takes just 30 minutes thanks to the tool’s intuitive interface. Additionally, starting with an auto-generated transcript means staff spend less time listening to distressing audio repeatedly. “Our staff is typing less and reducing the number of times they need to listen to difficult audio phrases,” the manager notes, making the job less taxing and more sustainable.

Gaining valuable insights with streamlined evidence review

For a Midwestern agency with over 1,000 sworn officers, managing body-worn camera (BWC) footage is a monumental task. The sergeant overseeing the BWC program reviews every use-of-force incident and ensures compliance with agency policies—an effort that involves sifting through 40-70 videos weekly. Watching hours of footage, even at increased speeds, left little time for other critical responsibilities.

With Axon Auto-Transcribe, the sergeant’s workflow has drastically improved. By reading auto-generated transcripts, he can review incidents faster than by watching the videos himself, even in fast-forward. “I can read the auto-transcript faster than I can watch the video,” he explains. This approach not only saves hours each week but also provides a more comprehensive understanding of incidents, helping to ensure accuracy and accountability while freeing up time for other priorities.

Speeding up case analysis with AI-powered transcription

For Lisa Borden, an Assistant District Attorney in Ector County, reviewing cases with extensive video evidence has always been a significant challenge. “Reviewing cases is time-intensive, especially for cases with a large amount of video evidence,” ADA Borden notes. Major cases often require 10-15 hours of analysis, particularly when examining a defendant’s video statements to identify critical moments.

Axon Auto-Transcribe has changed the game. “Now, with one click, I can skip to the critical statements,” ADA Borden explains. With automated transcripts and keyword search functionality, the time spent on initial case reviews has been reduced by 25-50%. By saving hours on video analysis, Auto-Transcribe is helping prosecutors focus on building stronger cases while maintaining attention to detail.

These are just a few of the many ways Axon Auto-Transcribe and its connected solutions are transforming workflows for public safety and justice professionals. Ready to see how Auto-Transcribe can revolutionize your operations? Reach out at https://www.axon.com/contact