Clackamas County’s Upcoming Vote on AI Integration in the District Attorney’s Office
Clackamas County commissioners are set to vote April 9, 2026, on whether to approve a contract allowing the utilization of an artificial intelligence tool within the county prosecutor’s office.
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The Clackamas County Board of Commissioners is poised to approve a significant contract with Axon, the manufacturer of Taser and body camera technology, to integrate artificial intelligence into the Clackamas County District Attorney’s Office for evidence analysis.
This proposed contract, valued at $2 million over ten years, is set to appear on the consent agenda for the commissioners’ meeting scheduled for Thursday, April 9. This means the board intends to vote on the proposal without further discussion.
Previously, two years ago, the DA’s office established a five-year agreement for $650,000 with Axon for services known as Axon Justice Premier. The new contract seeks to elevate these services from “Justice Premier” to “Justice Premier Plus.”
While the DA’s office has yet to respond to inquiries from OPB about the distinctions of the new AI program, a report included in the agenda asserts, “Justice Premier Plus features enhanced system capabilities with AI tools aimed at enhancing evidence analysis and allows us to benefit from quarterly updates for improvements in discovery, trial preparation, and exhibits.”
Concerns have been raised by defense attorneys, civil rights organizations, and even prosecutors regarding another AI tool developed by Axon, known as Draft One, which generates police reports based on footage from body cameras.
A demonstration of Draft One, an AI-driven software by Axon that generates police reports from body cam audio in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, in 2024.
Nick Oxford / AP
In 2024, the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office in Washington communicated to agencies in its jurisdiction that it would not accept police reports generated by AI, directly citing concerns associated with Draft One.
“It produces inaccuracies—both significant and minor. It fails to track its error rate or indicate how many mistakes officers rectified in previous versions,” stated Deputy Chief Daniel Clark of the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office in a memo to law enforcement bodies.
Documentation pertaining to the new contract for the DA’s office notes: “Most of our evidence originates from the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office, which already holds an updated agreement with Axon for its digital evidence needs.”
Though a public information officer from the sheriff’s office confirmed they have access to Draft One through their existing contract, they noted it is not currently in use.
In recent years, Axon has been promoting Draft One to police departments nationwide. It appears to be pursuing similar outreach efforts with its AI tool for prosecutors.
The Justice Premier Plus package offers a variety of functionalities for prosecutors that parallel those of Draft One. According to the company’s website, its technology employs AI to transcribe interviews and body camera footage and “highlight key events and craft concise summaries, enabling legal teams to analyze evidence in minutes rather than hours without sacrificing diligence or discretion.”
Included in the Justice Premier Plus package is “Policy Chat,” which supplies law enforcement with “instant responses” to inquiries regarding their agency’s policies.
Related: As Washington state government officials embrace AI, policies are still catching up
Clark informed OPB that the King County Prosecutors’ Office was approached by Axon regarding Justice Premier Plus but is still deliberating its adoption.
While the Clackamas County DA’s office has yet to comment on Justice Premier Plus, Clark provided insight into his considerations as the King County office, which has spearheaded resistance to AI in police documentation, evaluates the technology.
Clark posits that AI can have beneficial applications that do not invoke as many concerns as generative AI programs like Draft One. For example, he suggested AI could assist prosecutors in examining extensive body camera footage to identify individuals wearing specific colors, or to monitor jail calls for keywords such as “gun.”
These applications are seen as less problematic since they provide identifiable information that can be verified by a human, allowing for clarification in the case of any discrepancies, such as misidentifying someone who mentioned “gum” instead of “gun.”
Related: Washington city officials are using ChatGPT for government work
Clark has expressed that his apprehensions about AI intensify when the technology starts making decisions traditionally reserved for human judgment.
“If AI takes over the role of a prosecutor—to suggest which individuals to prosecute, the charges they should face, or what an opening argument might entail—this raises significant concerns,” he remarked.
Clark indicated that he is carefully examining Justice Premier Plus to identify the fine line between using it as a tool for efficient identification and where it might venture into generative work that creates arguments or opinions.
For instance, should prosecutors utilize Axon’s Brief One, which can “generate summaries,” there must be explicitly defined guidelines regarding how those summaries may be used. Brief One is included in the Justice Premier Plus package proposed for the Clackamas County DA’s office.
Clark also emphasized that the growing use of AI in legal processes is not confined to civil matters. While the King County Prosecutors’ Office has prohibited its prosecutors from employing generative AI like ChatGPT, there have been instances across the country where prosecutors have used such technologies.
As offices in Seattle and across the nation contemplate the adoption of programs like Justice Premier Plus, Clark noted the necessity for prosecutors to approach AI with extreme caution.
“If AI is employed to aid in making decisions related to criminal justice, the implications can be profoundly serious, potentially leading to disproportionate impacts on the individuals involved,” he stated.
