When Heber City police began testing artificial intelligence software to generate police reports, they expected to save time on paperwork. What they didn’t anticipate was the technology fabricating a tale about an officer shape-shifting into an amphibian.
The incident came to light when Officer Parker Sever appeared before city officials in late October with an unusual concern. The AI program, called Code 4, had generated a report claiming he had transformed into a frog. The software analyzes body camera footage and automatically produces incident reports, but in this case, the details weren’t quite right.
The explanation for the strange narrative was surprisingly simple. The AI had picked up audio from a movie playing in the background during the recording, specifically “The Princess and the Frog.” The technology then incorporated elements from the film into the official police report.
Despite this humorous mishap, the Heber City Police Department remains committed to the technology. Sergeant Riggs demonstrated how the system works during a ride-along with FOX 13 News, conducting a routine traffic stop with a couple of individuals. After the interaction, where the department explained they were conducting a demonstration for a YouTube video, Riggs docked his body camera to generate the report.
The AI-produced document included accurate timestamps and properly captured that the occupants were joy riding. While it correctly noted details like picking up the vehicle traveling on the side of the road, the department acknowledges the technology still requires human oversight.
The time-saving benefits are significant. Sergeant Riggs explained that writing a report typically takes between one to two hours, but the AI system is saving approximately four hours every week. “I’m saving myself hours,” Riggs noted about the efficiency gains.
The department completed their trial run and plans to continue using the technology despite occasional errors. Officials maintain a sense of humor about incidents like the frog transformation, understanding that AI systems can misinterpret background noise and context.
While the software can dramatically reduce paperwork time for officers, human review remains essential to catch when algorithms go astray and turn routine police work into fairy tales.
