Earlier this year, Daniel Francis, founder of Abel, found himself speeding down a highway at 135 miles per hour in Oakland, California, sitting next to a police officer who had a gun on his lap. It was part of his research for Abel, a company developing AI to assist in filling out police reports. Normally, these ride-alongs are calm, but this time, things escalated when a driver fled after being pulled over. Francis and the officer gave chase, weaving through the Oakland Hills until the suspect’s car ran out of gas after 40 minutes of pursuit.
While racing down the highway, Francis couldn’t help but think about how AI could help with a police pursuit report. These reports, he noted, are among the hardest to write because they require documenting every turn and street along the way. Having spent over 20 ride-alongs with officers, Francis has become deeply invested in finding ways to reduce the time-consuming paperwork that occupies a significant portion of their work hours.
Abel’s AI uses body cam footage and dispatch call data to streamline police report writing, freeing officers from hours of tedious documentation. Recently, Francis announced that Abel raised a $5 million seed round led by Day One Ventures, with participation from Long Journey Ventures and support from Y Combinator’s summer 2024 class. The funding will go toward hiring engineers and improving the platform.
Francis’ journey into police tech started after helping a friend escape an abusive marriage, which brought him face-to-face with the slow police response times and the challenges officers face due to understaffing. This inspired him to explore how AI could help reduce the time spent on paperwork, which he discovered could take up to 45 minutes per report.
Now, Abel’s AI is being used by the Richmond, California, police department, where officers can edit the AI-generated reports at the end of their shifts, significantly cutting down on time spent documenting incidents. Abel isn’t alone in this space, competing with both large companies like Axon and smaller startups. Still, Francis believes Abel can help ease the burden on police officers and give them more time to focus on their core duties.
