Las Vegas law enforcement has been receiving funding for advanced technologies, including drones and license plate readers, courtesy of Andreessen Horowitz partner Ben Horowitz. The next priority on their agenda? Utilizing AI to streamline body camera footage management.
During a podcast with Horowitz and Marc Andreessen, Sheriff Kevin McMahill shared his vision for AI applications in policing. He hopes to use the technology to automatically blur faces and redact sensitive details in bodycam recordings, as well as to analyze vast datasets, such as cell tower records obtained during investigations. "I truly believe AI can revolutionize how we address some of the biggest challenges facing law enforcement," McMahill remarked.
The podcast episode followed reports that Horowitz has been backing the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD) to acquire products from a16z portfolio companies. Public records also revealed Horowitz’s involvement in advising on the deployment of these tools. While this collaboration has raised concerns among advocates for police accountability and surveillance, both Horowitz and LVMPD plan to continue strengthening their partnership.
“We’re not stopping,” Horowitz asserted, confirming the venture firm's ongoing commitment to supporting technology adoption within the department. McMahill echoed this sentiment, emphasizing that LVMPD’s efforts could serve as a model for other municipalities. “We’ll show it works, and more cities will follow suit,” he said.
The podcast touched briefly on some of the tech already in use, including Skydio drones and Flock Safety’s license plate-reading cameras, both backed by a16z. Emails obtained by TechCrunch revealed discussions about at least four other products, although LVMPD declined to comment.
Andreessen probed further, asking McMahill to outline his top tech priorities. The sheriff highlighted the burden on his team handling public records requests, which involves painstakingly reviewing bodycam footage to redact sensitive information. He sees AI as a solution to automate this tedious task, freeing officers to focus on more critical duties.
“Developing technology to blur faces, addresses, or names in footage shouldn’t be that hard,” McMahill noted. He also pointed out how AI could simplify analyzing subpoenaed cell phone tower data, which often includes millions of records. “If technology could identify just a handful of relevant numbers at the time and location we’re investigating, it would help us generate actionable leads,” he explained.
Horowitz expressed confidence in tackling these challenges, describing the AI applications McMahill proposed as straightforward to implement. Andreessen agreed, calling the task of automating face redaction “a very easy problem to solve.”
AI is already making inroads in policing. Startups like Abel, which recently raised $5 million, are developing tools to process bodycam footage and generate police reports. Similarly, Axon, a leader in police technology, offers AI-powered tools for identifying objects in footage and speeding up the redaction process.
McMahill’s wishlist underscores the growing role of AI in law enforcement and the push to integrate advanced technologies to improve efficiency. Whether through automating bodycam reviews or analyzing vast datasets, the LVMPD sees AI as a critical tool for modern policing.