On October 6, 2026, the Casper, Wyoming, City Council approved a one-year, $58,800 contract for TRULEO, AI software for the police department. The vote was unanimous. The item sat on the consent agenda, the list of routine items approved together without separate debate.
In Casper, the software reviews officers’ body camera video and flags interactions that supervisors may want to look at, for training or for commendation. Police Chief Shane Chaney’s memo to the council also cited less time spent writing reports through AI-assisted documentation. The vendor markets report drafting, interview assistance, and large-scale witness canvassing.
The council approved a 60-day pilot on April 7, also on the consent agenda. The trial began May 11. The council resolution says the department found the software a great benefit. The coverage we found includes no measures from the trial.
Chaney wrote that outputs will serve as supporting tools only, and that human judgment and existing supervisory processes remain the standard. He said the software will not change when officers record, and the department keeps ownership of all footage. In June the department said the software is not facial recognition, access is limited to authorized users, and personal information is removed from transcripts and analysis.
Cowboy State Daily reported the license terms: 79 patrol officers at $50 a month, 12 investigators at $200, and nine command staff at $250, with some licenses waived. The money was already in the department’s capital budget for fiscal 2027.
The Casper Star-Tribune reported criticism on social media and little opportunity for public comment. The vice mayor considered pulling the item for discussion, then left it on the consent agenda after brief remarks from the chief. Several council members declined to comment before the meeting.
Two consent votes took a police AI tool from trial to contract. Neither included public discussion.
Why it matters
Body camera review is a sensible first use. The footage already exists, and the output is a flag for a supervisor, not a decision about a resident. The risk sits in what the contract and policy leave unsaid.
Flags and AI summaries may become records under state retention and disclosure laws. A report drafted with software becomes evidence once an officer signs it. And a pilot that ends with a positive memo but no published measures leaves next year’s renewal without a baseline, unless the department sets one now.
Questions before you buy
- Who reviews each flag, how quickly, and what happens to flags no one opens?
- Are flags and AI summaries records under your state’s retention and disclosure laws?
- Can the vendor use your footage or transcripts to train its models?
- How will a report say that it was drafted with AI?
- What did the pilot measure, and what result would justify renewal?
- Does the purchase go to a discussion item with public comment, or onto the consent agenda?
Casper’s chief wrote down who owns the footage. The renewal should write down what the pilot was meant to prove.
Sources
- Casper City Council OKs $58,000 for AI that analyzes police body-cam video (Cowboy State Daily, Oct. 7, 2026)
- In Casper, Wyo., a green light for AI police bodycams (Casper Star-Tribune via GovTech, Oct. 8, 2026)
- City of Casper information packet, Oct. 2, 2026 (Oct. 6 agenda item for the Truleo agreement)
- City of Casper information packet, April 3, 2026 (Truleo 60-day pilot request)