PHOENIX – Police wanted posters are getting a high-tech facelift with the help of artificial intelligence.
The rising trend put the Goodyear Police Department in the national spotlight after the West Valley agency recently circulated an AI sketch based on the description of an aggravated assault suspect.
The photorealistic image depicting a man with a neatly trimmed goatee and wearing a black knit beanie and gray pullover hoodie drew coverage this week from the likes of The Washington Post and Gizmodo.
Officer Mike Bonasera, a Goodyear Police sketch artist, discussed the case and the use of AI for his job with KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Arizona’s Morning News on Friday.
“Basically, somebody fired at a vehicle, and it’s a scary situation,” he said. “There were younger adults in that situation. So, we went about it the same way I would go (about) any other sketch.”
Have AI sketches led to arrests in Goodyear?
While it was the first to make national headlines, the sketch wasn’t Goodyear PD’s initial foray into AI. Bonasera first used the method in April after a man tried to grab a young female student. The girl was able to run home and tell her parents, who contacted police.
The two AI images have prompted an “overwhelming amount” of calls, he said, although none of the tips have led to an arrest yet.
“We are still getting leads, from my understanding, talking to the detectives just yesterday,” he said.
Just as with hand-drawn sketches, police can’t directly use an AI image to determine the identity of a suspect and make an arrest.
“Historically, that’s not how sketches work,” Bonasera said. “So, what we do is we release this and it builds leads.”
How does Goodyear officer make AI sketches?
Bonasera explained that AI isn’t used until after he draws a sketch by hand based on witness and victim interviews.
“We’re not eliminating any steps. It’s just an additional step that could be taken,” the sketch artist said.
He said the AI sketch process is relatively new, but it is a growing trend.
“There are multiple law enforcement agencies in Arizona and across the nation, as well, that are starting to adopt this. It’s very early on, but we’re very excited and there’s been a lot of positive results with this,” Bonasera said.
Goodyear sketch artist expected pushback to AI images
The West Valley officer said the decision to start using AI wasn’t made without testing it for accuracy and considering legal and ethical concerns.
“The minute we thought we were going to do something like this, we knew this was going to have some pushback,” Bonasera said. “Because any time you introduce any new technology or anything new to any industry, it’s going to have pushback, especially something that’s been done for years.”
Concerns about legal issues dissipated after the idea was presented to Goodyear’s prosecutor.
“She was super excited about this, and it was a breath of fresh air to her because it’s a new thing that might help us identify somebody. And that’s the end goal, identifying this person so a family has justice,” Bonasera said.
