An abortion case has become flashpoint in Flock cameras controversy; Texas sheriff’s office used it to track a woman; now it gets ‘dangerous’ AI angle
Flock’s automated license plate reader network was reportedly used by a Texas sheriff’s office to search for a woman who had self-administered an abortion. Now, police records show that Axon’s Draft One AI tool was also used to help prepare the report on the case.According to 404 Media, the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office searched Flock’s nationwide network of more than 80,000 cameras while trying to locate the woman. The report was generated in part using Draft One, an AI tool that uses body-camera audio to create a preliminary police report for officers to review and edit.
How Flock was used to search for the woman
The report’s records show an officer used Flock to search for the woman’s vehicle after her abusive partner called police. He also searched a credit card header database called TLO for addresses and vehicle information associated with her.“I began to believe the victim may have been hurt by the RP [reporting person] due to the call and it not making sense. I wanted to use resources available to help find where the victim and her children could be to make sure they were okay,” the officer wrote.The officer said the Flock search was intended to determine what city the woman and her children might be in. The search showed that the vehicle had previously been in Dallas but did not provide a recent location.
What the AI-generated police report says
The newly obtained report shows that at least one officer, Sergeant Damien Bethel, used Axon’s Draft One to prepare his account of the incident.Draft One uses audio from body-camera footage to automatically create a preliminary police report after an incident. The officer then reviews and edits the generated narrative before submitting it.“I acknowledge this report was generated using Draft One by Axon,” a section of the report reads.The tool was used in part to summarise a discussion among deputies about the legal consequences of the abortion.“Deputies discussed the legal implications of the situation, noting that while the girlfriend self-administered the abortion pill, there were no criminal charges applicable under current Texas law,” Bethel’s report states. “Deputies also considered the possibility of a civil lawsuit against the pharmaceutical company that supplied the pill.”
Police records point to additional evidence
The report also indicates that the sheriff’s office has body-camera, in-car camera and photographic evidence from the incident.“There is digital multi-media evidence from Body Worn Camera footage of this call for service in the AXON Evidence Library. Digital multimedia evidence includes in-car camera footage of this call for service in the AXON Evidence Library or the WatchGuard Evidence Library. There were digital images captured while on the scene,” the report noted.The Johnson County Sheriff’s Department has repeatedly refused to release the body-camera footage, including in response to public records requests from 404 Media. The Electronic Frontier Foundation and 404 Media have separately requested the evidence.
What Flock says about the investigation
Flock CEO Garrett Langley has repeatedly disputed the report and said the search was conducted because the woman’s family was worried about her safety.Leaked audio obtained by the publication shows Langley repeating that explanation to Flock’s law enforcement customers earlier this month.“She was in an abusive relationship and the family was concerned that she was in danger. They were trying to find her because they were worried her life was at risk,” he said.However, the police reports shared in the report do not mention the woman’s family expressing concern. Instead, they identify her abusive partner as the person who reported the situation. The earlier police report also said investigators discussed whether they could charge her.“It was discussed at the time with the District Attorney’s office and learned the State could not statutorily charge [the woman] for taking the pill to cause the abortion,” the report obtained by the Electronic Frontier Foundation and shared with 404 Media said.
How the sheriff’s office describes Draft One
The Johnson County Sheriff’s Office declined to provide further details about the case or its use of Draft One. Keven George of the sheriff’s office said officers remain responsible for reviewing and approving reports the system produces.“Draft One works by uploading and transcribing body-camera audio once an incident concludes. Within about five minutes, a preliminary narrative based on that transcript is generated. Officers remain fully in control of the final report: they review and edit the draft, fill in missing details, and approve it before submission. Safeguards, such as placeholder ‘insert’ prompts, help ensure accuracy and prevent the system from guessing details it cannot verify,” George said.“The Deputy has to digitally sign before the narrative can be used,” he added.
