Artificial Intelligence (AI) is reshaping the operational landscape for public safety agencies. No longer a futuristic concept, AI is now integrated into the daily workflows of law enforcement, emergency response teams, and intelligence organizations. It’s accelerating investigations, improving decision-making, and enhancing situational awareness. But as adoption increases, so does the need for clarity around what AI can—and cannot—do.

In our recent webinar, From Hype to Help: Using AI in Public Safety Settings, experts from Microsoft and Kaseware discussed real-world use cases, offered guidance on responsible AI adoption, and shared insights into how agencies of all sizes can benefit from AI tools—ethically and effectively.

Navigating the AI Conversation in Public Safety

The conversation around AI is crowded with buzzwords. But what public safety agencies need is practicality and purpose.

Kaseware CEO, Dorian Deligeorges, framed the challenge well: “We need to reframe AI as a force multiplier for analysts and investigators—not a replacement.” It’s critical to understand:

  • AI is not autonomous. Human oversight is essential. AI supports decisions but does not make them.
  • Data quality determines AI output. Bias in, bias out. Strong governance and data hygiene are critical.
  • Transparency matters. Agencies need to be able to explain how AI-assisted outputs are generated to maintain public trust and comply with standards.

Where AI Is Already Delivering Impact

Public safety agencies across the country are already using AI to streamline investigative workflows and improve operational efficiency. During the webinar, panelists shared real-world use cases that are improving agency outcomes today:

Digital Evidence Review

AI accelerates review of digital media (—video, audio, and documents, etc.) —surfacing critical data in hours instead of weeks. As Microsoft’s Darek Pleasants explained, this reduces digital forensics backlogs and expedites investigations.

Entity Recognition

Kaseware’s Entity Extraction capabilities automatically identify and tag names, organizations, and locations across datasets, allowing analysts to shift focus from data wrangling to actionable insight.

Speech-to-Text Transcription

Whether it’s bodycam audio, jail calls, or interviews, AI transcription creates fully searchable, time-stamped records that improve accessibility and reduce reporting lag.

Multilingual Translation

With over 125 languages supported through Microsoft’s Azure AI Services, agencies can now collaborate across jurisdictions and borders with seamless language translation.

AI for Agencies of All Sizes

A key takeaway from Microsoft’s David Williams: AI is no longer reserved for big-budget departments.

Thanks to cloud-first platforms, even small and mid-sized agencies can access advanced AI capabilities without the burden of complex infrastructure.

How Smaller Agencies Can Leverage AI

Cloud-Hosted Solutions

Cloud-based investigative platforms eliminate the need for agencies to manage their own IT infrastructure. This significantly reduces upfront costs and ongoing maintenance, making advanced tools more accessible to smaller departments.

Pilot Programs

Agencies can start small by implementing low-risk, high-impact AI pilots—such as automating evidence tagging or transcribing interview recordings. These projects offer a fast return on investment and help build internal confidence in the technology.

Regional Collaboration

Smaller agencies can partner with nearby jurisdictions to pool funding and share access to AI-enabled tools. This collaborative approach expands capabilities while easing the financial burden on individual organizations.

Training Enablement

With built-in Learning Management Systems (LMS) like the one offered by Kaseware, agencies can provide scalable training that fits their operational tempo. Staff can learn new tools on their own schedules, supporting adoption without requiring new hires or external trainers.

Establishing Responsible AI Governance

With great potential comes great responsibility. AI must be governed with discipline, especially in high-stakes environments like law enforcement and national security.

Best Practices for AI Governance

Define Policy First

Clearly outline where, how, and why AI will be used—and where it won’t.

Prioritize Transparency

Create audit trails, explainable models, and defensible decision logic.

Control Access

Avoid using consumer-grade AI tools for casework. Instead, choose secure platforms like Kaseware that are compliant with CJIS, FedRAMP, and GDPR.

Engage the Public

Be proactive about public-facing communication to build community trust around AI use.

How to Prepare Your Agency for AI Integration

Adopting AI doesn’t require a full system overhaul. Agencies can begin with targeted enhancements and build gradually.

Key Starting Points

Internal Readiness Assessment

Identify high-volume, low-risk tasks where AI can support human analysts.

Build a Governance Framework

Establish review policies, data protocols, and oversight mechanisms.

Choose the Right Vendors

Select partners like Kaseware that offer pre-integrated AI with compliance guarantees.

Monitor Adoption and Feedback

Use performance metrics, user surveys, and feedback loops to refine implementation.

Looking Ahead: AI as a Force Multiplier

The bottom line: AI enhances, it doesn’t replace. As Microsoft’s team noted, “AI doesn’t make decisions. It provides insight. The decision remains yours.”

Benefits of AI in Public Safety

AI is helping public safety agencies reduce the time spent on manual processes. Tasks that once required hours—such as reviewing digital evidence or transcribing interviews—can now be completed in minutes, accelerating the pace of investigations.

It also enables deeper analytical insight by connecting patterns across data silos, jurisdictions, and disparate systems. This improves situational awareness and allows agencies to act on intelligence that might otherwise be overlooked.

Just as importantly, AI increases organizational capacity. By handling repetitive or time-intensive work, these tools free up investigators to focus on high-impact decisions, field operations, and community engagement.

Kaseware’s suite of AI-powered features—including transcription, optical character recognition (OCR), entity extraction, and multilingual translation—reflects this mission: to provide secure, scalable tools that enhance investigative efficiency without compromising trust or compliance.

Watch the Full Webinar

This blog highlights just a portion of the discussion. For more insights on policy frameworks, procurement best practices, and AI success stories from the field, watch the full recording of
From Hype to Help: Using AI in Public Safety Settings.

Watch the Webinar Now

Or, to see how Kaseware’s AI-powered investigative platform can support your agency’s mission, schedule a demo today.