The From Hours to Dollars: How Avon Police Turned a $15K Investment Into $503K in Savings
When Avon Police Department in Colorado invested in TRULEO's AI platform, they weren't just buying software. They were buying back something far more valuable: time. And as it turned out, that time translated into a return on investment that even the most optimistic projections hadn't predicted.
The numbers tell a story that every police administrator needs to hear: a $15,000 annual investment delivering approximately $503,000 in returns. That's a 33x return in year one.
But how does a small department with just 24 sworn officers achieve this kind of result? The answer lies in understanding what police work actually costs when you break it down to the hour.
The Hidden Cost of Report Writing
Before TRULEO, Officer Matthew Carlton spent 4-5 hours writing a single felony report. After multiple correction rounds and additional hours spent on rejections, that time stretched even longer. For Avon PD, this wasn't just an inconvenience. It was an expensive problem hiding in plain sight.
After implementing TRULEO, that same report takes approximately 1 hour. Officers face fewer rejections and get back on the street faster.
"Opinions changed once the team found out how much time TRULEO could save them. Hours and hours," the department noted.
But the real financial impact becomes clear when you calculate what those hours actually represent.
Breaking Down the Numbers
For Avon Police Department, handling approximately 150 cases annually, TRULEO saves an estimated 90 hours per case across case review, jail call intelligence, and OSINT/RMS research.
Let's do the math:
- 90 hours saved per case
- 150 cases annually
- 13,500 total hours returned to the department
To put that in perspective, that's 1,688 full shifts given back to officers. In a department of 24 sworn officers, that's transformational.
The investigation time savings alone account for approximately $421,875 in annual value.
The Translation Cost Most Departments Don't Calculate
Serving Spanish-speaking residents is a regular requirement for Avon PD, but traditional approaches come with limitations and costs that add up quickly:
- Bilingual officers aren't always available
- Professional translators are expensive
- Phone translation services disrupt rapport and slow down investigations
TRULEO's 99% accurate Spanish-to-English translation eliminated the waiting time for professional translators and allowed officers to conduct interviews in their strongest language with immediate results.
The annual savings from language access alone: approximately $6,844.
One of the Spanish-speaking officers conducted an interview entirely in Spanish, then uploaded the body cam footage to TRULEO for translation. Chief Daly reported it was 99% accurate, and "translation got high praise from Spanish-speaking officers."
The Retention Factor: The Cost You Can't Ignore
Here's the cost that many departments overlook when calculating technology ROI: officer retention.
The cost to replace a single officer is approximately $75,000 when you factor in recruitment, training, equipment, and the productivity loss during that transition period.
By reducing burnout and administrative burden, TRULEO contributes to officer retention. The estimated benefit: approximately $75,000.
Officer Carlton's transformation from skeptic to champion illustrates this perfectly. "It literally has become a tool on my toolbelt," he said. Technology that makes officers' jobs easier doesn't just save time. It makes them want to stay.
ing officers."
What the $15,000 Actually Bought
Let's break down Avon's investment:
- 25 TRULEO licenses
- $50 per month per license
- $15,000 total annual cost
For that investment, they received:
- Investigation Time Savings: ~$421,875
- Language Access Savings: ~$6,844
- Officer Retention Benefit: ~$75,000
- Total Annual Savings: ~$503,000
Beyond the Spreadsheet: Value You Can't Price
While the 33x ROI is impressive, some returns don't fit neatly into financial calculations:
Fewer Report Rejections: Officers aren't redoing work, which means less frustration and higher morale.
Better Evidence Preservation: TRULEO transcribes body cam footage and captures exact quotes from everyone at a scene.
"It's pulling quotes that you or the victim said that otherwise would have been forgotten," Officer Carlton explained.
Stronger Prosecution Cases: Verbatim transcripts are harder for defense attorneys to dispute. As Carlton noted about DUI cases: "When people are drunk, TRULEO can pick up on what they say." Slurred words and confused statements captured exactly as spoken demonstrate intoxication level more convincingly than officer descriptions alone.
Trial-Ready Documentation: Officers can focus on the scene, knowing nothing will be lost. Perfect recall means minor details that become critical are captured in the moment.
- Total Annual Savings: ~$503,000
What This Means for Your Budget Planning
Financial calculations are based on industry averages and department case volume estimates, so actual results will vary. But the fundamental equation remains the same: when you give officers back thousands of hours per year, those hours have financial value.
For departments considering AI investment, Avon's experience offers a framework for calculating your own potential ROI:
- Calculate your current cost per report (officer hourly rate × average hours spent)
- Estimate annual case volume
- Factor in rejection/rework costs
- Consider translation and interpretation expenses
- Account for retention costs and turnover rates
"It's not just saving time, it's a tool to further your investigation," Officer Carlton said.
That's the real ROI: technology that pays for itself 33 times over while making officers more effective at their jobs. For a $15,000 investment, that's a calculation any department can understand.
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