Brooklyn Park police say new AI tool is cutting child exploitation case times from weeks to hours

The Brooklyn Park Police Department said its new artificial intelligence software is transforming how quickly investigators can process digital evidence in child exploitation and violent‑crime cases, turning what used to take weeks into just hours.

Sgt. Jake Tuzinski said the system can scan thousands of images at once and instantly surface anything visually similar to weapons, faces, backgrounds or potential victims.

“Out of 200,000 photos, if I miss one or something, I can hit enter, and it’s going to find me everything that’s visually similar,” Tuzinski said.

The software flags images that haven’t been reviewed yet and prompts investigators to categorize them. For child exploitation cases, investigators can tag victims and search for visually similar images across a suspect’s phone or cloud data.

“It’ll start finding similar matches based on face, skin tone, clothing, background, all that stuff,” he said.

Before this technology, going through a full phone extraction could take a week. Now, Tuzinski says, “we can rip through it in an hour or two.”

He said the department has used the software in about 10 cases so far — half involving violent weapon crimes, the other half crimes against children. In one recent case, investigators discovered a second child victim through images found on the first victim’s phone.

The tool has also reopened stalled weapons cases, uncovering illegal machine‑gun parts, geolocation data and additional suspects.

Tuzinski said the technology is especially important as online exploitation grows, and as Minnesota prepares to enforce a new law banning AI‑generated child sexual abuse material, signed this Thursday by Gov. Tim Walz. The law takes effect Aug. 1, 2026.

What the faster process means for victims

Tuzinski said the speed isn’t just about efficiency; it directly affects child safety, charging decisions and whether victims are protected from further harm.

He said prosecutors often need a certain number of images to meet statutory charging thresholds, especially in child exploitation cases. The new system helps investigators find those images quickly so charges can be filed while suspects are still in custody.

“When you talk about charging somebody in custody versus out of custody, we obviously want to keep them away and separate and keep them incarcerated so they don’t have the ability to reoffend,” he said.

He said the faster turnaround also helps uncover victims who may not have come forward yet.

“A lot of times we’ll find ancillary victims that we didn’t know about,” Tuzinski said. “Maybe they don’t have the right support system to bring it forward, or anybody in their life who cares or thinks it matters.”

And for families, he said, the difference is life‑changing.

“You have one of the most heinous crimes happen against a family member, and then you culminate that with sometimes months to a year before you even hear anything about it,” he said. “They really feel like they’ve just been left behind.”

With the new system, he said, investigators can now get cases charged in less than a week.

“We can put a strong, prosecutable case in front of an attorney,” he said. “That means a lot to the families, to see that we take what they report very seriously and we’re not going to let somebody off the hook for this.”

CornerHouse says faster image removal helps children heal sooner

At CornerHouse, a Minneapolis-based organization that provides services for kids and families who’ve experienced child abuse, Executive Director Christy Shannon said the speed of Brooklyn Park’s new technology could directly impact a child’s mental health and safety.

“If kids who have been sexually exploited online are able to get abusive images taken down sooner, they can begin healing faster,” Shannon said. “There’s a higher risk with suicide in recent years in line with all of the developments online and online exploitation of children.”

CornerHouse provides forensic interviews, advocacy, mental‑health services and community training for families experiencing abuse. Shannon says families often need reassurance and resources as they navigate police investigations.

“Families need a lot of support in what resources are available to them, and hearing that they’re not alone,” she said.

Shannon said they are seeing more cases where adults pose as children on gaming or social platforms, extorting kids for images or money.

“We’ve definitely seen an increase in that kind of exploitation in recent years,” she said. “And the acute mental‑health crises that kids can be in because of it.”

CornerHouse works with multiple law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, on online exploitation cases.

“I would say there’s probably been at least a 10% increase in the last couple of years where we’ve had cases that we’re working with the FBI on,” she said.

Shannon said delays in digital evidence processing can worsen the trauma.

“If kids know that there’s images out there of them, that fuels their anxiety,” Shannon said. “It can have reputational damage as well as mental‑health implications.”

Shannon also supports Minnesota’s new ban on AI‑generated child sexual abuse material, saying it adds another layer of protection for kids.

She urges parents to stay aware of what their children are doing online and to create an environment where kids feel safe coming forward.

“If they suffer alone with that information, that’s where we see a lot of the mental‑health crises,” she said.

CornerHouse offers training for youth and adults on recognizing online exploitation, as well as a community call line at 612‑813‑8320 for families seeking help.

Shannon said the prevalence of abuse is far more common than many realize.

“One in four girls and one in 13 boys experience sexual abuse by the time they’re 18,” she said. “Sexual exploitation would fall into that.”

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