Across the country, evidence rooms overflow with untranscribed audio that could help solve a criminal case or exonerate the innocent. Some agencies prefer human-powered law enforcement transcription companies to help them lighten the load. However, others have got on the AI hype, which brings the question, “What exactly are the ethics of AI use in law enforcement transcription?”
The sensitive nature of police audio files requires the utmost confidentiality and accuracy – two things that AI is notoriously bad at. You may be getting a good deal on your AI transcription, though the consequences would likely make any of those benefits pointless. So, let’s discuss exactly why AI is unfit for law enforcement, and why human transcription is still the gold standard.
In this article, you’ll learn how:
- AI transcription can mistakenly create false information in legal recordings, which could wrongly implicate innocent people or compromise court cases.
- While AI companies advertise quick turnaround times, the extensive editing needed to fix AI transcription errors often makes the process longer than traditional methods.
- Unlike human transcriptionists, AI systems cannot explain their decisions in court or clarify why they made certain transcription choices, creating legal accountability issues.
What Is AI Transcription?
AI transcription, or automated speech recognition (ASR), is a solution powered by artificial intelligence that performs audio and video transcription. The process involves uploading the video or audio file into an AI platform. Alternatively, the audio can be dictated directly to the program or device. The program or device then transcribes audio recordings using speech recognition.
Depending on the process, the transcript is either used immediately or reviewed or edited manually by a transcriber or proofreader. In simple terms, AI transcription automatically converts recordings without human intervention.
4 Main Types Of AI Transcription
Below are some of the most common types of AI transcription that you might encounter along the way.
| Types | Description |
| Automated Speech Recognition | Direct speech-to-text conversion using machine learning; fast but may struggle with accents and noise |
| Speaker-Dependent Systems | Trained on specific voices for higher individual accuracy; requires user voice training |
| NLP Enhanced | Adds context, punctuation, and speaker identification; structures output naturally |
| Human-AI Hybrid | AI transcription with human review; highest accuracy but costlier and slower |
Ethical Considerations of Using AI in Law Enforcement Transcription
Yes. The law enforcement sector can theoretically use ASR, but creating AI transcripts is impractical. For the same reason, the ethics (and risks) of using AI in law enforcement transcription must be carefully considered.
AI Hallucination Risks in Transcripts
The biggest issue with ASR or AI transcription services, apart from the rampant inaccuracy, is that they sometimes make up stories. That’s a mortal sin in the law enforcement sector.
One research study found that OpenAI’s Whisper system generated completely fabricated information in at least 1% of transcriptions.
“But 1% is okay, right?”
Wrong.
1% might sound insignificant. However, given the context and nature of law enforcement, ANY fabricated information is potentially disastrous.
To wit, 19% of those hallucinations involved what the researchers called “perpetuation of violence,” and 13% made up names or facts.
From a law enforcement perspective, a false confession or fabricated details could result in an innocent person being locked up behind bars.
It gets even better when these transcripts reach the courtroom. The same research proved that the stories made by AI aren’t simply word substitutions. They’re often believable yet fabricated lines almost indistinguishable from actual testimony, making AI transcripts a massive risk in both law enforcement and criminal justice.
Concerns of Demographic Bias
AI transcription tools have a track record of demographic bias, and the numbers are quite concerning.
For instance, ASR systems have terrible performance with children’s speech. The Wav2Vec2 model, a supposedly functional system that converts audio to speech through self-supervision, got a measly 35.31% accuracy rate when transcribing children’s speech.
That level of accuracy becomes more problematic with law enforcement cases where children’s interviews need to be transcribed. Children can be vulnerable witnesses or victims, and using a system that misunderstands one in every three words is unacceptable.
Moreover, the bias can also be found in regional dialect speakers. It won’t be as bad if these are simple random errors. However, they can be biases that could disproportionately affect communities present in the US, negatively affecting them and creating further tension where there weren’t any in the first place.
Implications of Voice Data Privacy
Voice recordings are unintentional biometric databases, which means they’re far more revealing than simple transcriptions.
How is that an ethical concern? Well, ASR systems process voice recordings that can reveal health conditions through speech patterns, emotional conditions through the tone of voice, racial origin through accents, and surprisingly, even social status through vocabulary.
To be clear, letting an AI transcribe your recordings also means you’re freely giving away whatever data you have in the recording. All these findings – the health condition, social status, etc. – create a wide array of sensitive data categories under the Law Enforcement Directive Guidelines, which require security measures that many AI transcription companies might not be equipped to handle.
Issues with AI Transparency
Unlike image analysis systems, the features of ASR, like OpenAI’s Whisper and Wav2Vec2, are particularly opaque. So when there’s a mistake in the AI transcript, there’s often no clear way to understand why or how to prevent the same occurrence in the future.
However, the opacity of AI becomes more problematic in criminal proceedings. Human transcriptionists can explain their decision-making if questioned in court. They can be asked questions like, “For what reason did you transcribe content corresponding to an inaudible portion of the audio recording?” which is empirically impossible with AI systems.
Reliability Concerns in Practice
Accuracy statistics available for ASR systems in the market mostly came from a controlled environment, which makes it misleading to many. Some AI transcription companies advertise their system as achieving good quality with merely 2% error rates.
Although those accuracy claims are technically true, their tests are usually conducted in ideal conditions – crystal-clear audio recordings, professional-grade microphones, a well-spoken individual, and all the bells and whistles required to create a perfect audio recording.
However, when faced with actual recordings from real clients, that 98% error rate plummets faster than an anvil dropped out of an airplane. I know because we conducted a study and found that the most common AI transcription tools can only reach an average 61.92% accuracy rate.
Although a study proves that ASR can transcribe a 27-minute audio file in a mere 45 seconds, the resulting transcript requires even more time polishing. The same study stated that manually correcting a 3-minute AI transcription can take up to 11 minutes, depending on the language.
Now, tell me, how is that considered efficient? How does that fulfill the promised “time-saving” benefit?
Tips on Choosing Law Enforcement Transcription Services
We’ve pretty much established that AI transcription causes more problems than it supposedly solves and unfit when considering the ethics of law enforcement. So, should you start manually transcribing hours of recordings like a madman?
Not exactly.
Human-powered professional transcription companies with proven experience in law enforcement are your best option.
However, you don’t just Google “law enforcement transcription” and pick the first one that pops up. Specific guidelines and non-negotiable criteria can help you determine whether your chosen company fits your requirements well. Here they are:
Accuracy
As mentioned earlier, reliable transcription is a cornerstone of law enforcement testimonies, and even the smallest errors can negatively affect law enforcement officers, prosecution cases, and defendants’ lives. Choose a provider with 99% guaranteed accuracy rates, and avoid service providers using intelligence transcription and speech recognition technology.
Even though they’re often inaccurate, prone to issues with background noises, and may cause more issues than they fix, transcriptions created by AI are not admissible in court. Remember that efficiency and accuracy are tell-tale signs of a reliable company.
Security
Information leaks can destroy credibility, mess with the criminal justice process, and potentially affect many lives. Look for providers like Ditto Transcriptions, who offer stringent security measures that meet CJIS guidelines to ensure confidentiality and that every piece of data is as secure as possible.
Pricing
Beware of services with unrealistically low rates. Those companies are often offshore, using foreign transcriptionists who cannot certify their transcripts, thus making them inadmissible in court. High transcription prices, on the other hand, decrease cost-effectiveness.
Look for cost-effective and affordable companies that are 100% transparent with their prices.
Expertise
US-based professional transcriptionists trained in legal transcription better understand legalese, redaction rules, hearing formats, and other nuances only someone in the United States will understand.
Check credentials, sample work, testimonials, and company longevity. Law enforcement transcription can often overlap with legal or medical transcription, so it’s best to find a company that caters to all industries.
Ditto’s Law Enforcement Transcription Checks All The Boxes
The ethics of using AI for law enforcement transcription is a procedural landmine. That’s why it’s better to trust the experts with your transcription needs.
Why bother looking for a decent transcription service provider when you already have the best right here? The following guarantees cover all our services:
- More than 99% accuracy on all projects
- Fast turnaround times
- Different affordable rates for different budgets
- Flexibility and customization
- HIPAA and HITECH compliance
- No lock-in periods or contracts—pay as you go
- Multi-channel communication
- Industry-leading customer support
So what are you waiting for? Call us or sign up for our free, no-commitment trial and experience the difference.
Ditto Transcripts is a CJIS-compliant and HIPAA-compliant, Denver, Colorado-based transcription company that provides fast, accurate, and affordable transcription services to companies and agencies of all sizes. Call (720) 287-3710 today for a free quote, and ask about our free five-day trial. Visit our website for more information about our transcription services.