Police audit includes warning about AI-generated reports

LAS CRUCES — An independent auditor gave the Las Cruces Police Department high marks for maintaining a culture of accountability Monday, with a word of caution about using artificial intelligence software to prepare incident reports.

The California-based OIR Group presented the Las Cruces City Council with its ninth semiannual report in nearly five years. The audit reviewed closed internal investigations of potential misconduct by police officers. The group is given access to investigative memos and evidence such as body-worn camera footage and recorded interviews with officers in the course of investigations. OIR then opines on the objectivity and reasonableness of the process and the outcomes, including disciplinary actions.

Last year, LCPD adopted Axon’s Draft One technology, which drafts incident reports based on body-worn camera footage and aims to cut the time officers spend documenting incidents.

The software was behind a viral story earlier this year from Heber, Utah, in which Draft One appeared to pick up on a Disney movie playing in the background of a police encounter and documented that a police officer had transformed into a frog. 

Although no magical frogs appeared in LCPD’s AI-generated reports, OIR’s audit underscored an incident in 2025 in which aspects of an incident report were later challenged as inaccurate and the officer admitted that “he could not recall which sections were generated by AI and which were authored personally.”

In a review of a different incident, OIR auditors noted that an AI-generated report demonstrated “a significant overlap in the phrasing used across different employees’ reports.” A profusion of template-style phrasing across reports “presents a risk to perceived report authenticity and may undermine or diminish the evidentiary value of the reports,” OIR’s report states, urging supervisors to review Draft One reports carefully.

“This is a work of progress, I think, for agencies nationwide,” OIR principal Teresa Magula said after City Councilor Becky Corran asked about the AI-generated police reports. “I think the important part is to have really strict guardrails and very close review, and so departments are really leaning on supervisors to be doing thorough reviews of these reports.”

“The need for supervisors to scrutinize officers’ reports existed before the use of this technology,” LCPD Chief Jeremy Story told the Journal following Monday’s City Council session. “Training has been provided to both officers and supervisors on the use of AI-assisted reports, and several safeguards are built into the program. It is a meaningful time-saver that allows officers to spend more time on the streets handling 911 calls or doing proactive work.”

2024 shooting 

OIR’s report evaluates 12 investigations, including one non-fatal shooting of a citizen by police in 2024, three off-duty incidents, two vehicle pursuits, two uses of force and four investigations focused on issues involving reporting, investigative or administrative issues.

The group also reviews closed litigation involving allegations against officers, although none were presented in the new report. OIR also keeps track of demographic data of citizen complainants and relevant police officers, and hosts occasional community meetings to gather input.

The report cites “meaningful strides in critical incident reviews, including improved timeliness and holistic assessments,” layered reviews of vehicle pursuits and “increasing rigor” when it comes to off-duty conduct by officers.

The report also released some of the department’s findings in its investigation of a 2024 incident in which an officer shot and wounded Danny Garcia De Leon.

On Nov. 11, 2024, an LCPD officer shot and wounded Garcia De Leon, then 50, during a standoff at an apartment complex on South Espina Street. Garcia De Leon was arrested and charged with attempting to commit aggravated assault upon a peace officer and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. An apparent firearm in Garcia De Leon’s possession was later confirmed to be a replica weapon. His case is currently paused as New Mexico’s 3rd Judicial District Court evaluates his competency to stand trial, according to court records.

LCPD’s internal investigation, completed within six months of the incident, was summarized in OIR’s report. The LCPD found that the officers on scene had attempted to de-escalate the situation and that Garcia De Leon had pointed a realistic-looking weapon at the officers.

The officer who shot the suspect was deemed to have used force reasonably and was not disciplined. Yet the department noted some “training considerations” to address, such as the fact that officers only identified themselves once as peace officers and that some of the body-camera footage was obscured during the encounter. OIR’s audit essentially concurred with the LCPD’s findings.

“We appreciate the relationship we have with the OIR Group,” Story told the Journal. “Although we do not agree on everything, we have far more times where their input was valuable, and we accepted their recommendations.”

Algernon D’Ammassa is the Journal’s southern New Mexico correspondent. He can be reached at adammassa@abqjournal.com.