Before adopting AI tools, agency leaders face a growing challenge: separating meaningful innovation from technology that creates new risks or operational burdens. Asking the right questions early helps ensure any AI you bring into the department supports your mission, fits your workflows and aligns with community expectations.
This checklist gives you a clear framework for evaluating AI solutions and vendors. It outlines 10 essential questions every law enforcement leader should consider before moving forward with an AI-enabled tool.
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The rising urgency around AI decisions in policing
AI is becoming part of day-to-day public safety operations – from video analysis to documentation support to automated alerts. These tools can streamline labor-intensive tasks, surface critical information quickly and strengthen decision-making in both routine and high-risk situations.
But with increased use comes increased scrutiny. Leaders must be confident the technology they adopt is accurate, tested, transparent and accountable.
Understanding how an AI system works – and how it integrates into your environment – is essential to protecting your agency’s credibility, ensuring officer safety and maintaining community trust.
Why it’s essential to understand the AI behind your tools
Evaluating AI isn’t only about what a tool can do. It’s about how it was built, how it’s tested, how it handles your data and how it supports the outcomes your agency cares about.
A strong AI evaluation process helps you:
- Avoid tools that add complexity instead of reducing workload.
- Ensure technology aligns with department policies and legal standards.
- Protect data ownership and control.
- Identify whether a vendor demonstrates fairness, transparency and accountability.
- Ensure community expectations are considered in procurement decisions.
A logical starting question for any vendor is:
“How is AI built into the systems we already use and the ones we are looking to add?”
It should elicit an answer that gives you clarity on the vendor’s approach, how the AI operates in real workflows and what oversight mechanisms are in place.
What you’ll learn:
- How to assess whether AI tools integrate seamlessly with your existing systems and workflows.
- What to ask about transparency, data ownership and control over AI processes.
- How to evaluate vendors on fairness, bias testing and accountability.
- Why explainability and clear documentation are key to responsible AI adoption.
Download the full list of 10 key questions to ask your technology partner to better understand the AI behind your technology and ensure your agency is choosing solutions that are transparent, trustworthy and built for safer outcomes.