Manual Redaction vs AI Redaction for Police Agencies

Digital evidence is now central to nearly every police investigation from routine traffic stops to major narcotics, and violent crime cases. But as the volume of video and audio recordings grows, so does the burden of redaction.  

Traditionally, this work has been performed manually inside video editing tools such as Adobe Premiere or audio waveform editors. For years, this was the only option. But with the rise of AI, police agencies now have an alternative: automated redaction capable of identifying and masking sensitive data in a fraction of the time. 

This article breaks down the key differences between manual redaction and AI-powered redaction, helping agencies evaluate not just the cost, but the operational impact, risk mitigation, and scalability. 

The Manual Redaction Process: Slow, Labor-Intensive, and Error-Prone 

For many agencies, manual redaction remains the default approach especially when using legacy workflows or consumer-grade editing software. While familiar, the process carries significant drawbacks. 

Time Consumption:

Manual redaction requires analysts to: 

• watch entire videos frame-by-frame, 

• draw masks over faces or objects, 

• constantly adjust those masks as subjects move, 

• scrub through audio tracks to isolate sensitive words or phrases. 

Police body camera footage continues to overwhelm departments, with big city departments generating more than 10,000 hours of footage weekly, creating labor and storage burdens for agencies Interviews with record units often reveal even longer times when footage is complex or contains large crowds. 

High Cognitive Burden 

Manually tracking faces, children, bystanders, screens, and license plates especially in fast-moving body-worn camera footage, places enormous pressure on staff. One missed frame can compromise privacy, violate public records laws, or damage public trust. 

Redacting audio presents similar challenges. Teams must listen to entire 911 calls or interview recordings to ensure no name, address, or sensitive detail slips through. With FOIA deadlines tightening nationwide, this workload can overwhelm teams that were never staffed for digital era demands. 

Inconsistent Output 

Different analysts may apply masks differently. Some may blur widely, while others mask too narrowly. The lack of standardized approaches means: 

• inconsistent redaction quality, 

• uneven privacy protection, 

• increased risk of PII leakage. 

Moreover, manual redaction introduces unavoidable human variability, especially under time pressure or heavy caseloads. 

Limited Scalability 

Body-worn camera adoption has grown substantially. According to Bureau of Justice Statistics surveys, by 2016 nearly half of U.S. law enforcement agencies had equipped officers with BWCs, and adoption continues rising. This proliferation of cameras translates into massive amounts of digital evidence that agencies must manage, store, and review — a workload that far outpaces manual editing and review capabilities.

Even small agencies face growing backlogs, especially when FOIA requests surge or prosecutors require rapid turnaround. 

Manual redaction cannot be scaled without increasing staffing and hiring skilled staff is increasingly difficult. 

AI Redaction: Faster, More Accurate, and Built for Modern Caseloads 

AI-powered redaction offers an alternative that directly addresses the weaknesses of manual workflows. Rather than relying entirely on human labor, AI detects and tracks sensitive elements automatically. 

Below are the key advantages that AI brings to police digital evidence workflows. 

1. Automatic Detection of Faces, People, License Plates, Screens, and More

Modern AI models can identify: 

• faces (adults and children), 

• full-body persons, 

• license plates, 

• computer or phone screens, 

• documents, 

• weapons (when enabled), 

• text visible in the scene (OCR). 

Instead of drawing masks manually, users simply confirm detections. The AI applies redaction across the entire clip. 

This eliminates hours of repetitive work and dramatically reduces missed frames. 

2. Multi-Object Tracking in Complex Scenes

High-movement scenarios like foot chases, crowds, or dynamic body-worn camera footage are where manual redaction breaks down. AI solves this with auto-tracking, ensuring masks follow subjects smoothly even when they move unpredictably. 

This feature is indispensable for: 

• gang units, 

• narcotics task forces, 

• surveillance teams, 

• patrol BWC review. 

It replaces the tedious frame-by-frame corrections that staff previously performed. 

3. Transcript-Based Audio Redaction

AI-transcribed audio allows analysts to search for sensitive terms directly: 

• names, 

• addresses, 

• medical information, 

• phone numbers, 

• dates of birth, 

• or any custom keyword. 

Clicking a term automatically highlights the corresponding audio segment, allowing users to redact it instantly. This workflow reduces audio redaction time by 50–80%, based on internal agency pilots and VIDIZMO customer data. 

Explore VIDIZMO REDACTOR

4. Greater Accuracy and Standardization

AI applies consistent rules across all footage ensuring uniform blur levels, mask sizes, and redaction types. Instead of relying on the skill or speed of individual analysts, agencies maintain consistent privacy protection across cases and units. 

Automated approaches also reduce cognitive load, making it less likely that staff will overlook a sensitive detail due to fatigue. 

5. Scales With Evidence Volume

As digital evidence grows - videos, audio, mobile device extraction data dumps, surveillance feeds, AI workflows scale effortlessly. Agencies can process: 

• multiple files simultaneously, 

• long-form videos without manual intervention, 

• bulk batches scheduled automatically on upload. 

Rather than adding staff to keep up with bandwidth, agencies can process more evidence with the teams they already have. 

Manual Redaction vs. AI Redaction: A Side-by-Side Comparison 

Which Approach Protects Agencies Better? 

While manual redaction may work for small agencies with minimal video workloads, it struggles as soon as evidence volume increases. AI redaction offers not only speed and accuracy, but also reduced liability, greater compliance assurance, and more predictable turnaround times. 

In the era of mandatory transparency, FOIA deadlines, and rising public expectations, agencies cannot afford redaction errors. AI provides a practical and responsible way to modernize this essential function. 

Conclusion: AI Doesn’t Replace Analysts, It Amplifies Them 

Manual redaction has served law enforcement for years, but the increasing load of digital evidence makes it unsustainable. AI doesn’t eliminate the need for human oversight, it simply removes the repetitive, mechanical work that slows down investigations and drains staff time. 

With the right AI-powered tools, agencies can: 

• process cases faster, 

• improve accuracy, 

• reduce backlog, 

• strengthen transparency, and 

• redeploy staff to higher-priority tasks. 

The result is not only operational efficiency, but also stronger, cleaner, and more defensible case files. 

Want to See AI Redaction in Action? 

Experience how your agency can complete redaction in minutes instead of hours. And discover why agencies nationwide are upgrading from manual workflows to AI-powered automation.