FAQs

This article contains frequently asked questions about Draft One.

Features and functionality

What is Draft One?

Draft One is a draft narrative generation tool powered by body camera audio. Using Draft One, you can quickly create draft narratives from Axon Evidence, Axon Records, or Axon Standards that can be carefully reviewed and revised before the incident report is submitted.

These drafts are generated from your body camera's footage of the incident. As soon as you stop recording, the audio from your video is automatically uploaded to Axon Evidence. Once the upload is complete, the audio is quickly Auto-Transcribed. Five minutes after stopping the recording, you can open Axon Evidence, Axon Records, or Axon Standards and use Draft One to create a draft narrative.

For more information, see Draft One.

Do Draft One narratives contain errors?

Yes, Draft One narratives can contain mistakes, but the technology is continually being improved.

To mitigate the risk of reports being submitted that contain errors, Draft One emphasizes the importance of reviewing drafts generated by Draft One and requires users to sign off on the accuracy of a draft before they are able to use it in a report.

For more information about this process, see Copy or submit narratives generated by Draft One.

Are there scenarios in which Draft One doesn’t work?

The quality of the narrative generated by Draft One is often tied to the quality of the audio captured by the body camera. Audio quality and the resulting Draft One narrative can be of lower quality in the following situations:

  • Chaotic incidents
  • Incidents where multiple people are speaking at the same time
  • Incidents where unsupported languages are being spoken
  • Serious crimes
  • Extended interviews

Users have reported that even if the draft generated by Draft One isn’t ideal, it is often a good starting point. The draft lets users review what happened, helps overcome “writers block” by giving them a starting point, and can provide details they may have forgotten.

For tips on “helping“ Draft One be most useful, see, Draft One best practices.

How do Draft One narratives compare to non-Draft One narratives?

Axon ran a double-blind randomized control trial study in which 24 experts reviewed 120 narratives. Some of the narratives were generated using Draft One and some were not. The experts included District Attorneys, Command Staff, and equity and inclusion scholars. The experts were asked to score each narrative for five different dimensions: Comprehensiveness, Neutrality, Objectivity, Terminology, and Coherence.

Scores for Comprehensiveness, Neutrality, and Objectivity were the same for narratives generated with the help of Draft One compared to narratives created without Draft One. Draft One narratives performed significantly better where Terminology was concerned. Additionally, Draft One narratives contained significantly less incriminatory language (e.g., hit, assaulted, fled) compared to narratives that were created without using Draft One.

Do Draft One narratives contain racially biased language?

Axon has run several studies on narrative drafts generated by Draft One that tested the amount of incriminatory language used in relation to suspects of various races and ethnicities. An example of incriminatory language would be using “fled” and “punched” as opposed to “left” and “pushed”.

These studies found that the product does not promote racially biased reports. However, Axon does understand the ethical responsibility of providing a product like Draft One and will continue to monitor product quality for different suspect.

Why do I see some evidence in Draft One but not Axon Evidence?

Draft One only requires that the recording’s audio be uploaded and transcribed. This upload happens wirelessly, which means that you can access the transcript and generate a draft using Draft One about five minutes after you stop recording.

However, the full recording, including video, isn’t uploaded to Axon Evidence until the camera is docked. Once the full evidence is uploaded, you will be able to find that evidence in Axon Evidence.

Availability and access

Who can use Draft One?

Organizations who purchase the Draft One add-on can begin using Draft One. Additionally, the organization must have the Unlimited Auto-Transcribe plan. To allow users to immediately upload their camera audio over LTE and let Draft One be used five minutes after the recording stops, your organization must also have the Axon Respond+ plan. Users must have Axon Evidence Pro Licenses in order to use Draft One.

Once Draft One is enabled for an organization, administrators can use permissions and privileges to control which users are able to access it. For more information, see:

Where is Draft One available?

Draft One is generally available for all US State and Local law enforcement organizations.

Language support

Which languages can you use with Draft One?

Currently, Draft One is only supported in English. Beta testing with mixed English and Spanish is currently underway.

Security and privacy

Is Draft One data shared?

All data used by Draft One is kept securely in Axon Evidence. If you want to help improve Draft One, contact your Axon representative to join Axon's Customer Experience Improvement Program. This is a voluntary and privacy-centric program that helps Axon develop new products while leaving organizations in control of their data.

 

Axon's AI-powered features use artificial intelligence to provide insights, recommendations, or analysis based on available data and user inputs. These outputs may include inaccuracies, limitations, or outdated information. These tools are designed to support—not replace—professional judgment, legal interpretation, and human oversight. Users are responsible for carefully reviewing and verifying AI-powered content before acting on it. Axon continually works to enhance AI accuracy, mitigate bias, and uphold ethical standards. Learn more at Axon AI.