July 21, 2026

Attorney Michelle T. Dellino also warns technology will likely spark wave of legal challenges

A new mobile app designed to help police navigate domestic violence calls could improve report consistency, but it will likely spark a wave of legal challenges, according to leading Washington family lawyer Michelle T. Dellino.

Developed by researchers at Washington State University’s Complex Social Interactions (CSI) Lab, the open-source app guides officers step-by-step through data collection while drafting incident reports. The software features an integrated AI legal assistant designed to help officers interpret relevant state statutes and case law in real time.

“An app like this can be a great tool for helping ensure officers don’t overlook a key detail, giving them prompts to create a detailed and standardized police report on an incident,” said Dellino. “But as these reports start being used in real-world cases, we will likely see defense attorneys raise questions about how the software is used.”

While Dellino believes the app could serve as a valuable tool to prevent officers from overlooking crucial details and help standardize documentation, she anticipates defense attorneys will aggressively challenge its use in court.

Dellino predicts that lawyers seeking to exclude evidence will focus on three key areas: whether the app’s algorithm skewed the officer’s perception, whether its underlying science is scientifically accepted, and if warrants were tied to its automated flags. These issues, she noted, will be litigated case by case until a definitive legal framework emerges, as has been the case for other new technologies.

The app could help create more standardized reports on domestic violence calls, which would make it easier for prosecutors to show a pattern of behavior. But she said there’s also a risk that officers might lean too heavily on the app instead of their independent judgment.

“There’s always a risk with any new technology that it leads users to trust it too much,” she added. “If officers start to rely on the app to flag which cases need to be investigated further, there’s a risk that they might overlook the facts right in front of them. There’s still no substitute for a well-trained officer’s independent judgment in a difficult situation.”