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AI exposure Protective service

Will AI replace police and Sheriff's patrol officers?

Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers. US occupation 33-3051.

12.3%

of the time police and Sheriff's patrol officers spend on their work goes on tasks where AI is already being used to do that work.of police and Sheriff's patrol officers' working hours go on tasks AI has already started taking off their plate.

Ranked 163 of 756 US occupations. More exposed than 78% of them.Further along than 78% of them.

Average US job 7.7%

Well above the typical job.Ahead of most of the workforce.

What AI already does for police and Sheriff's patrol officersWhat police and Sheriff's patrol officers no longer do alone

O*NET lists 40 tasks for police and Sheriff's patrol officers. AI use at work shows up in 2 of them. Each score runs from 0.5, where every observed use helps a person with the task, to 1, where every use does the task outright.

  1. Record facts to prepare reports that document incidents and activities.Core task mostly automated 1.00
  2. Examine immigration applications, visas, and passports and interview persons to determine eligibility for admission, residence, and travel in the U.S.Core task mostly automated 0.86

What it does not touch, yetWhat still needs a human

38 of the 40 tasks show no AI use at work in the data.

  • Collect samples of merchandise for examination, appraisal, or testing.Core task
  • Detain persons found to be in violation of customs or immigration laws and arrange for legal action, such as deportation.Core task
  • Determine duty and taxes to be paid on goods.Core task
  • Direct traffic flow and reroute traffic in case of emergencies.Core task
  • Drive vehicles or patrol specific areas to detect law violators, issue citations, and make arrests.Core task
  • Evaluate complaint and emergency-request information to determine response requirements.Core task
Show the other 32
  • Execute arrest warrants, locating and taking persons into custody.Core task
  • Identify, pursue, and arrest suspects and perpetrators of criminal acts.Core task
  • Inform citizens of community services and recommend options to facilitate longer-term problem resolution.Core task
  • Inspect cargo, baggage, and personal articles entering or leaving U.S. for compliance with revenue laws and U.S. customs regulations.Core task
  • Institute civil and criminal prosecutions and cooperate with other law enforcement agencies in the investigation and prosecution of those in violation of immigration or customs laws.Core task
  • Interpret and explain laws and regulations to travelers, prospective immigrants, shippers, and manufacturers.Core task
  • Investigate illegal or suspicious activities.Core task
  • Investigate traffic accidents and other accidents to determine causes and to determine if a crime has been committed.Core task
  • Locate and seize contraband, undeclared merchandise, and vehicles, aircraft, or boats that contain such merchandise.Core task
  • Monitor traffic to ensure motorists observe traffic regulations and exhibit safe driving procedures.Core task
  • Monitor, note, report, and investigate suspicious persons and situations, safety hazards, and unusual or illegal activity in patrol area.Core task
  • Notify patrol units to take violators into custody or to provide needed assistance or medical aid.Core task
  • Patrol and guard courthouses, grand jury rooms, or assigned areas to provide security, enforce laws, maintain order, and arrest violators.Core task
  • Patrol specific area on foot, horseback, or motorized conveyance, responding promptly to calls for assistance.Core task
  • Photograph or draw diagrams of crime or accident scenes and interview principals and eyewitnesses.Core task
  • Place people in protective custody.Core task
  • Provide for public safety by maintaining order, responding to emergencies, protecting people and property, enforcing motor vehicle and criminal laws, and promoting good community relations.Core task
  • Provide road information to assist motorists.Core task
  • Question individuals entering secured areas to determine their business, directing and rerouting individuals as necessary.Core task
  • Record and report job-related activities, findings, transactions, violations, discrepancies, and decisions.Core task
  • Relay complaint and emergency-request information to appropriate agency dispatchers.Core task
  • Review facts of incidents to determine if criminal act or statute violations were involved.Core task
  • Testify in court to present evidence or act as witness in traffic and criminal cases.Core task
  • Testify regarding decisions at immigration appeals or in federal court.Core task
  • Transport or escort prisoners and defendants en route to courtrooms, prisons or jails, attorneys' offices, or medical facilities.Core task
  • Verify that the proper legal charges have been made against law offenders.Core task
  • Conduct community programs for all ages concerning topics such as drugs and violence.
  • Investigate applications for duty refunds and petition for remission or mitigation of penalties when warranted.
  • Locate and confiscate real or personal property, as directed by court order.
  • Process prisoners, and prepare and maintain records of prisoner bookings and prisoner status during booking and pre-trial process.
  • Serve statements of claims, subpoenas, summonses, jury summonses, orders to pay alimony, and other court orders.
  • Supervise law enforcement staff, such as jail staff, officers, and deputy sheriffs.

How that compares

Among the 21 protective service occupations, police and Sheriff's patrol officers rank 1. The group averages 1.2%. The average US occupation sits at 7.7%.

All 756 occupations, ranked

Just above in the ranking

  1. 160Credit Authorizers, Checkers, and Clerks 13.0%
  2. 161Tax Preparers 12.8%
  3. 162Personal Service Managers, All Other 12.4%

Just below

  1. 164Lodging Managers 12.2%
  2. 165Compliance Officers 12.1%
  3. 165Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Programmers 12.1%

What this does and does not mean

Exposure is observed use, not a forecast. Anthropic maps work conversations with Claude onto the tasks O*NET lists for each job and asks, of the tasks AI could speed up, which are actually being used for at work. A use that does the task outright counts in full and a use that assists a person counts half. The task scores are averaged into the occupation figure by the share of time spent on each task.

A high figure means AI is already part of how this work gets done. It does not mean anyone has been replaced. Anthropic's own reading of the labour market finds no systematic rise in unemployment among exposed workers so far, and about 14% fewer 22 to 25 year olds starting exposed jobs.No measurable rise in unemployment among exposed workers so far, and about 14% fewer 22 to 25 year olds starting these jobs. Gap years for everyone. Labor market impacts, 5 March 2026.

Task list and titles from O*NET 31.0 by the US Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, used under the CC BY 4.0 licence. Scores from the Anthropic Economic Index (CC BY). Checked 1 November 2026. How the ranking works.