AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Austin Police Department has partnered with a Canadian software company to launch a new artificial intelligence-powered, non-emergency reporting system.

APD partnered with Versaterm Public Safety’s Case Service to launch a system via ireportaustin.com.

Case Service is an artificial intelligence, or AI, virtual officer that instantly communicates with citizens through voice, mobile, web, and text, according to its website.

According to APD, the AI assistant conducts a full interview with the person filing a report and provides key information to the police department.

The system allows the report to be accepted into the official offense report database within hours or a similar time frame as if an officer wrote the report.

APD said the platform will reduce wait times for community members and speed up the investigation process.

APD started looking into AI about a year ago to help with staffing shortages, especially within the call center.

APD said people must meet these guidelines to file an online report:

  • No immediate danger to people or property
  • The suspect is no longer on-scene
  • The reporting party must be 17 years old or older and have a valid email address

The online system accepts the following types of reports: 

  • Assault (minor or no injury, excluding domestic violence)
  • Threats (excluding domestic violence)
  • Burglary that does not involve fire/arson
  • Theft (excluding prescriptions, firearms, explosives, vehicle license plates, and motor vehicles of any kind)
  • Lost or missing property (excluding narcotic prescription medication, vehicle license plates, and firearms)
  • Damaged property or Graffiti
  • Fraud
  • Harassment
  • Counterfeiting or Forgery
  • Identity theft
  • Illegal use of a credit or debit card
  • Minor, non-criminal child custody issues for documentation only
  • Trespassing (suspect no longer on scene)
  • Shoplifting reports

Once a report is submitted, the individual who submitted the report will receive confirmation via email with the assigned case number. If a supplement needs to be added later, community members can create a new report and provide the original case number when prompted.

The new reporting system supports multiple languages, including English, Arabic, French, Hindi, Korean, Simplified, and Traditional Chinese, Spanish, and Vietnamese, among other languages.

“We are confident this technology will streamline the reporting process, alleviate the current backlog for APD non-emergency requests submitted via 3-1-1, and provide community members personalized attention to their incidents,” APD said in a press release. “Upon successful deployment of this first phase, APD plans to expand the use of Case Service further.”