IACP 2025 Highlights: AI, Wellness, and Technological Innovation

The annual International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) Conference wrapped up on Tuesday, October 21. Over four days, 16,000+ public safety professionals learned and networked, attending hundreds of workshops and reviewed the wares of the more than 600 vendors in attendance.

Vector Solutions was proud to be one of those vendors, showcasing our comprehensive Unified Agency Readiness Platform that helps agencies train, prepare, and retain their officers.

Beyond our presence in the exhibition hall, we also attended a number of educational sessions held during IACP 2025 and have collected key insights from those discussions to share below.

AI and Its Use in Law Enforcement Software

The continued evolution of artificial intelligence and its impact on law enforcement operations was a major topic at this year’s IACP conference.

Over a dozen of this year’s workshops are focused specifically on this subject. These sessions explored a broad spectrum of topics—ranging from the impacts of generative AI and its use for report writing to key considerations when contracting AI vendors providing law enforcement software.

In one, “The Cutting Edge of a Doubled-Edged Sword: How AI can Improve and Disrupt Operations,” speakers Ret. Chief Jonathan Lewin of the Chicago Police Department, Changlin Li, Executive Director of the AI Safety Awareness Project, and Oscar Wijsman, Internal Lead AI and Data Science at the National Police of the Netherlands, discussed the powerful ways AI can enhance operations as well as the serious risks it presents when misused by criminals or state actors.

As shared in their presentation, maintaining the trust of the community is a critical component of utilizing AI successfully for law enforcement agencies. However, trust in AI is tenuous, and a majority of people believe AI needs to be regulated at a national and international level. Criminal use of AI is also a major concern. Bad actors are now utilizing AI in a variety of ways, including the creation of deepfakes, misinformation campaigns, automated scams, and fraud schemes.

Ret. Chief of Police and current Business Development Director for Magnet Forensics, Bradley Wentlandt, also spoke about the challenges deepfake technology poses in his workshop, “Maintaining Community Trust in an Age of AI and Deepfakes: What Police Chiefs Need to Know about Generative AI, Deepfake Media, Reputation Defense, and Community Trust.”

Using the generative AI technology that is already available, bad actors can create or edit very convincing photos, audio clips, and videos to damage the reputations of law enforcement agencies, spread misinformation, and amplify public discontent. These deepfakes can be hard to detect and once they are seen by thousands online, they become very hard to refute.

An additional concern is when deepfake media is mistakenly collected as evidence, or the idea of legitimate digital evidence being generated by AI is presented in a courtroom.

“We’re in a position where we have to ask whether [digital media] is real or not,” Chief Wentlandt said.

An additional consideration when it comes to generative AI and the way it can manipulate digital media is the application process. During his workshop, “Public Safety Preemployment Assessment the Age of AI: Challenges and Solutions,” Ryan Roberts, J.D., Ph.D., ABPP, and President of Law Enforcement Psychological Services Inc., discussed the way AI can be utilized by applicants to cheat during interviews and psychological testing.

During an interview, a candidate today can use AI tools to generate answers to interview questions in real time. They can even change the way they appear on camera, such as appearing less nervous or changing their tone of voice.

While there are software tools to combat these techniques, Roberts also encouraged attendees to focus on educating test proctors to recognize the signs of a test taker using AI, such as their eyes flicking to the side or odd pauses during the conversation.

On the other side of the coin, speakers Lt. Matthew Barter of the Manchester (NH) Police Department, Officer Shane Coleman of the Chicago Police Department, and (Ret.) Chief  Jonathan Lewin of the Chicago Police Department discussed how law enforcement agencies can use AI themselves to benefit operations.

According to Lt. Barter, who headed a study on the use of generative AI for report writing, the data shows that efficiency is not always the main benefit. Instead, agencies may want to focus on quality.

According to the study, “No man’s hand: artificial intelligence does not improve police report writing speed,” there was no statistically significant difference in the amount of time it took to complete police reports between a group provided with a generative AI tool and a control group.

“It was pretty shocking,” he said. “[But] can AI help with [report quality]? We’re thinking it can.”

Aspects of reports like grammar, spelling structure, voice, content, and comprehensiveness are all areas that AI could improve and be of benefit to agencies when it comes to report writing.

Data analytics is another area that AI excels at. Chief Lewin demonstrated this use case by showcasing the creation of a dashboard to simulate the impact of crime prevention activities. The dashboard was created entirely by AI and in only minutes as opposed to hours or days.

“Anybody in this room with an idea could, for free or next to free, create something like this [dashboard],” he said.

However, while it can be an incredible asset, Chief Lewin also cautioned attendees that AI frequently gets things wrong, referred to as a “hallucinations” in the industry. According to Chief Lewin, in his experience, about 50% of the sources the generative AI tool cited while putting the dashboard together were entirely fake.

“It can get it wrong and it’s really important to control for that,” he said.

This message of verification was echoed in other sessions, with presenters encouraging attendees to always verify any information created by generative AI tools.

Supporting Officer Wellness in 2025

In addition to AI, wellness is another critically important topic discussed during the conference, a distinct change from how the topic was approached in decades past.

Today, many agencies are looking to begin or improve their wellness programs, hoping to better support their officers and help them achieve long, healthy careers. However, starting a program from scratch can be intimidating.

To help agencies get started, speakers Mandy Nice, Chair of the IACP Physical Health Working Group, Ret. Lt. Joseph Dulla, Affiliate Faculty at the Georgia Southern University Office of Public Safety, Michael Harper, Fitness Wellness Training Manager at the Texas Department of Public Safety, and Ret. Chief of Police Jeff Spivey, current VP of Business Development at SWORN.AI, presented information from IACP’s publication, “Officer Health and Wellness Agency Assessment Tool and Action Planning Roadmap,” which includes 10 steps agencies can take to build a comprehensive officer health and wellness program.

The 10 steps outlined in the document and discussed during the presentation are:

1. Obtain necessary buy-in
2. Develop program team and distinguish a team leader
3. Review research and connect with agencies that have similar programs
4. Identify priority areas
5. Define program mission/goals and develop a plan
6. Build a referral network
7. Provide training for the program team
8. Launch program and conduct regular outreach
9. Maintain officer wellness programming
10. Evaluate Impact

While the list is long, it’s important to remember you don’t have to implement every single aspect of a wellness program all at once. As stated by Nice, an initiative to do a standard blood test or blood pressure screening can be a fantastic way to get started and can be incredibly impactful on officer health.

Another barrier that often stands in the way of implementing a wellness program is a lack of a champion or leader. Potential candidates might have too much on their plate already, are not convinced of the efficacy of the program, or might even feel unqualified to lead a wellness program due to a lack of knowledge or acknowledgement of their own unhealthy habits. However, this last challenge shouldn’t ever stop someone from stepping up if they are interested and invested in the wellness of their agency.

“You don’t have to be the perfect model of health to lead a wellness program,” Nice said. “The important thing is, is that you care.”

As outlined by the speakers, once the decision is made to implement a program and the team is selected to lead it, the next step is to start planning your program. Afterall, as said by Chief Spivey, “if you fail to plan, you plan to fail.”

Primary goals of a well-planned and executed health and wellness program include mental health support, with the goal of helping officers avoid the negative outcomes associated with policing, like post-traumatic stress disorder and, in a worst-case scenario, suicide.

In their workshop, “Breaking the Silence: Effective Strategies for Suicide Prevention in Policing” speakers Dr. Trina Hall, Police Psychologist embedded with the Dallas Police Department, Lewis Schlosser, Ph.D., ABPP, and Chief Psychologist for the New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police and the Delaware Association of Chiefs of Police, and Inspector Mark Wachter of the New York Police Department, discussed suicide, why it continues to be a difficult subject to discuss within law enforcement, and strategies agencies can implement to prevent it.

When asked why it continues to be difficult to talk about mental health and suicide in law enforcement, Dr. Hall brought up the fact that the subject matter tends to make people uncomfortable, something most people try and avoid. However, to combat this instinctual avoidance of the topic, agencies should work to normalize these discussions.

By normalizing having conversations about mental health, agencies can help officers feel comfortable reaching out to a professional when they need it. According to Dr. Schlosser, another needed element to make officers willing to undergo therapy is providing them with access to anonymous and outside resources. By doing so, agencies can garner the trust of their officers and further reduce officer hesitancy around mental health topics.

However, another critical demographic that agencies have a responsibility to, and who are often overlooked, are their retirees. The reality is, for a profession like law enforcement, maintaining mental health doesn’t stop at retirement. It can be a difficult transition for many, and the loss of purpose can be especially difficult for law enforcement professionals.

This topic was discussed by speakers Ret. Chief David McGill, Chair of the IACP Retired Chiefs Section, Caitlyn Brennan, CEO of 100 Club of Illinois, Dr. Jaime Brower, Police Psychologist and VP of Peer Support and Clinician Training and Certification with Lexipol, and Dr. Edward Keane, Police Psychologist with the Danbury Police Department. Their workshop, “Retiring from Your Career 2.0: Achieving Wellness During the Emotional, Psychological, Physical, and Financial Transition to Your Next Best Chapter,” shared advice aimed at current law enforcement officers to help them prepare for their retirement.

One of the most important takeaways of the workshop was the importance of preparing early.

This might entail having conversations with loved ones about important matters related to retirement, like finances or what you want your living situation to be after retirement, as well as pre-empting what Dr. Brower referred to as the “health tax.” This health tax comes from the years of mental and physical strain officers operate under; and it will hit harder when you have not prepared adequately by staying on top of your mental and physical health. Oftentimes, officers will also feel the negative mental impact of their experiences stronger after retirement.

While officers should prepare for this health tax, the agency also has a long-term responsibility to support their officers both before retirement and after.

Simple engagement opportunities, like monthly breakfasts, are a great first step, but a more tangible way to support retired officers is by continuing to provide them with access to the wellness benefits they had prior to their retirement, like professional therapy or health resources.

As the law enforcement community continues to evolve, prioritizing wellness stands as one of the most meaningful ways to ensure the long-term health of officers.

The Latest Innovations in Law Enforcement Technology and Software

While AI is probably the hottest topic in the tech space currently, there are plenty of other technological innovations impacting law enforcement operations.

In “The Silent Witness—Exploring the Use of Data in Criminal Investigations”, Detective Jacob Huffine of the Denver Police Department and Craig Spingarn, Senior Crime Analyst, Major Crimes Division, also of the Denver Police Department, presented a case study demonstrating an example of how today’s tech and the data it produced impacted a real murder case.

As described by Detective Huffine and Spingarn, suspicious text messages discovered on the victim’s phone helped investigators narrow in on a suspect and GPS data from a rental vehicle and the suspect’s cell phone was used to place the suspect in the area at the time the crime occurred. These pieces of data, which investigators wrote warrants to obtain, were key in speeding up the investigation.

“It likely would have taken a lot longer without [data from the rental car],” Detective Huffine said.

Beyond detailing the investigative process of their case study, Detective Huffine and Spingarn also provided attendees with several key pieces of advice. The most important of which was to preserve data and to do it as fast as you can.

“Digital data is everywhere, but it’s also very perishable,” Spingarn said, sharing that because of the volume of data technology providers handle, much of it is only stored temporarily.

Detective Huffine agreed, adding that in some cases, investigators may want to go as far as to put recovered cell phones or other devices into a faraday cage or bag.

“We can never emphasize the importance of preserving digital evidence enough,” Detective Huffine said.

However, as shared by the speakers, sometimes it’s the absence of data that investigators should look for. In the case study they shared, additional data from sensors on the rental car, including data indicating when the engine was turned off and on, as well as doors opening and closing, further implicated the suspect in the murder.

“We were layering digital data on top of digital data to tell the story,” Detective Huffine said.

Speakers Ret. Lt. Col. James Emerson, Vice President of the National White Collar Crime Center (NW3C), Emily Jennings, Program Manager with IACP, Major George Perera of the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office, and Justin Parker, Training Manager at NW3C, shared similar sentiments in their workshop, “Leveraging Emerging Technologies to Combat Criminal Organizations.”

In the workshop, Lt. Col. Emerson and Major Perera spoke about the vast quantities of data available to investigators today, if they know where to look.

“I challenge you to find a crime committed today that doesn’t include digital evidence,” Lt. Col. Emerson said.

From cell phones to smart watches to connected vehicles to smart homes, just about everything we interact with these days creates some sort of data.

“All of these devices provide data, and that data can be leveraged,” Major Perera said.

However, just because that data exists doesn’t mean investigators are always successful in using it. Beyond just preserving it before it is lost, investigators also need the training and education to be able to know what they’re looking at.

That’s where the Law Enforcement Cyber Center and NW3C come in. As shared by Jennings, the Cyber Center, which is a collaborative project between IACP, NW3C, and the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF), provides law enforcement agencies of all sizes with a clearinghouse of cyber-related information. Beyond training and resources, the Cyber Center also offers a directory of cybercrime labs, information about new and emerging trends, IT security assessments, and cyber incident reporting.

NW3C is another useful resource. Since 1978, NW3C has provided training and technical assistance for law enforcement entities throughout the U.S. and abroad. Training is available in-person, online, and self-paced, or via webinar, while the technical assistance provided by NW3C includes both online and in-person assistance, 24/7 access to subject matter experts, and secure access to investigative tools and resources.

For law enforcement agencies, these tools and more will continue to help them stay on top of the rapidly evolving technological landscape and ahead of criminals and bad actors.

Getting the Most out of Technology Vendors

Beyond the educational opportunities offered through sessions and workshops, attendees were also able to meet with vendors in the exhibition hall and learn more about the latest and greatest in training and operational technology.

But with hundreds of vendors to choose from, how were agencies able to find the technology that best met their needs? Here’s a few important areas of consideration:

1. When reviewing vendors that offer online training for law enforcement, look for courses that are already approved by your state’s POST or certifying authority. Additionally, look for courses that are certified by a nationally recognized organization, like the 100+ Vector courses certified as part of IADLEST’s NCP program.
2. Find out whether the vendor is experienced working with law enforcement agencies and whether the technology was built specifically with law enforcement or public safety in mind. For instance, is your state’s POST or certifying authority already partnering with the vendor, like the relationship Vector Solutions has with 20+ law enforcement certifying authorities across the country?
3. Don’t be afraid to ask about the price. Typically, software-as-a-service companies, like Vector Solutions, price software based on agency size. This means that the software is affordable, no matter the size of your agency.
4. Get the scoop on their full suite of products. For example, do they offer conduct management, scheduling, and equipment management in addition to training?
5. Does the platform integrate or offer single sign-on functionality, which allows agencies to access multiple aspects of training and operations with just one login? (Vector does!)

Thank you for checking out our coverage of IACP 2025! If you’d like to learn more about how the Vector Solutions Unified Agency Readiness Platform helps law enforcement agencies of all sizes train, prepare, and retain their officers, please request a demo today!