(TNS) — Almost exactly six months after the Casper City Council gave the Casper Police Department the green light to test AI-powered body-camera software, the department took another step Tuesday toward making the technology a permanent part of its policing toolkit.

The council authorized the department to move forward with a nearly $59,000 contract that would allow it to use the software full-time.

The decision comes after months of debate in Casper over how and whether artificial intelligence should be used in law enforcement, and what safeguards should accompany it.

Commenters on recent social media posts have expressed doubt of and discontent with the notion of AI use by the police department, but council members unanimously approved the one-year, $58,800 contract with little opportunity for public comment.

Despite the social media criticism, public comment at Tuesday’s regular council meeting steered clear of AI.

The software the department has been using is called TRULEO. It advertises a host of abilities, including AI-assisted report writing, summaries of encounters or meetings, automated review of body-worn camera footage, an AI assistant, “AI-assisted interviews” and more.

Police and the company behind TRULEO have emphasized the software’s security, saying its approach to storing and sharing reports minimizes the risk of a data breach.

TRULEO cannot access information officers have not explicitly authorized it to access, nor does it store that data locally. Instead, the company says the software “streams” information from where it is natively stored.

The contract initially appeared on the council’s consent agenda, but Vice Mayor Kyle Gamroth said Tuesday morning he was considering pulling it for discussion.

After brief comments from police Chief Shane Chaney and Capt. Jeremy Tremel, however, Gamroth left the item on the consent agenda, allowing the council to approve the contract without further discussion.

The trial period was approved by council on April 7 on consent agenda, so Tuesday marked the second time the body approved the department’s use without public discussion.

The department and council have generally avoided publicly addressing the software, as multiple council members declined to weigh in when contacted by the Star-Tribune before the regular meeting.

EDITOR’S NOTE: The Star-Tribune will take a deeper look at the issue in its Thursday, Oct. 6, and Saturday, Oct. 8, print editions, with additional coverage available online.

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