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An update on Axon’s Redaction Assistant: New capabilities, best practices, and real results

Since the successful launch of our revamped redaction tools in the fall of last year, we’ve remained committed to providing functionalities that help you accelerate your workflows and keep up with backlogs. In this article, we’ll highlight what else has launched this year and offer best practices to help streamline your redaction workflows.

Expanding capabilities

Axon’s Redaction Assistant leverages AI to streamline the redaction process by automatically detecting and blurring objects that include heads, screens, and license plates, saving valuable time and effort. We’re excited to share that we’ve doubled our AI object detection capabilities with three new assistants: notebooks, mobile devices and ID documents:

  • Notebooks: Detects physical notebooks or notepads an officer might write in at a scene, including vehicle registrations or other paper items.

  • Mobile devices: Identifies illuminated cellphone screens and applies masks to cover them.

  • ID documents: Recognizes documents such as driver’s licenses and passports, adding masks to cover the detected objects.

In the first quarter of 2026, we plan to introduce new capabilities to Redaction Assistant’s Audio Redact via Transcript feature. These enhancements will automatically identify and redact sensitive information from audio, including names, dates, addresses, email addresses, phone numbers and Social Security numbers. In addition, we’ll deliver accuracy and tracking improvements to Object Tracker, a feature that allows users to manually select objects to track and redact. Stay tuned, as there will be more to come next year!

Best practices for increased productivity

To help you get the most out of Axon’s updated redaction tools, we’ve outlined several best practices that can boost workflow efficiencies and reduce manual effort:

  1. Take the first step with bulk redaction: Axon’s updated redaction tools allow users to bulk redact up to 20 video files at once directly from the evidence search page or within a case. When you open Redaction Studio, you can review this work and quickly layer in any additional audio or visual masks as needed—simplifying the redaction process and saving valuable time.

  2. Enable all available AI models for maximum coverage: Run all available AI models using bulk redaction to detect, track, and mask even before knowing what types of objects are in the video. This helps capture unexpected personally identifiable information (PII) and speeds up redaction by reducing the need to add manual masks later.

  3. Keep working while Redaction Assistant processes: Redaction Assistant runs in the background, even if you exit Redaction Studio, so you can continue reviewing and editing without waiting. Even though we have made Redaction Assistant super fast and you can get results in under 10 minutes for videos under 2 hours, you do not have to pause your workflow. During processing you can:

    1. Add audio masks

    2. Redact additional objects using Object Tracker or manual masks

    3. Adjust existing Redaction Assistant masks

  4. Avoid extra steps when working with third-party video: Keep your workflow efficient by uploading third-party videos directly to Axon Evidence and redacting them in Redaction Studio or from the evidence search page with bulk redaction. With Third Party Video Playback (3PV) automatically converting 97% of formats, you can skip external tools and apply consistent redaction practices across all video sources.

  5. Share easily when redactions are complete: When your redactions are finished, you can securely share the videos directly from Axon Evidence. This removes the need to download the files or use another system to send them to others. From start to finish, your entire redaction process can be completed within the same platform.

For more workflow tips and how-to videos, visit Using Redaction Assistant.

Real results with revamped tools

If you haven’t used Axon’s revamped redaction tools, now is the time to adopt these solutions and streamline your workflows:

The ability to prepare multiple videos simultaneously is excellent and helped increase productivity.

— Midwestern U.S. agency, 150 sworn

I was redacting a video this morning...the AI picked up on a child standing near the door frame that I didn't even see! It was GREAT!

— Southwestern U.S. agency, 400 sworn

Using Axon for video redactions has been great! No longer having to download/upload a ton of files saves a lot of time. The tracking works great!

— Western U.S. agency, 700 sworn

Conclusion

At Axon, we’re committed to delivering tools that not only meet your agency’s current needs but grow with you over time. Redaction Assistant is evolving with feedback from public safety partners like you. Whether you're exploring the latest updates or fine-tuning your workflows, our goal is to support you every step of the way. If you have feedback on our redaction tools or need assistance, don’t hesitate to contact your Axon representative.

A note on human oversight and AI partnership

Axon AI assistants are designed to enhance your work—not replace your judgment. To learn more about Axon’s approach to AI and key considerations for your agency, read The Definitive Guide to Using AI in Policing.