A Cop’s Mission Continues: Safeguarding Communities Through AI Redaction

Over the course of 15 years in public service, Josh Salas served on the frontlines of public safety, from the California Army National Guard to nearly a decade with the City of Lathrop and City of Modesto Police Departments.

At the age of 17, he enrolled in the California Army National Guard, serving six years as an Infantryman before spending nearly a decade in California law enforcement as a police officer, SWAT operator, and Field Training Officer. He responded to robberies, homicides, and domestic violence calls. He also led high-risk operations with SWAT and trained new officers entering the force.

In those roles, Josh saw how quickly transparency broke down as body-worn and dash-cam footage piled up. A short interaction with a driver, suspect, or witness could generate hours of recordings, leaving records teams buried in redaction work and struggling to meet public records request deadlines. As backlogs stretched from months into years, delays created a perception that agencies weren’t following through on their transparency commitments even when the intent to share was there.

Today at CaseGuard, Josh is focused on bridging the same gaps he saw throughout his law enforcement career. Watching records teams struggle to keep pace and departments fall behind on requests now shapes the way he helps agencies adopt an AI-powered redaction solution that makes transparency achievable at scale.

We spoke with him about the lessons from his service, California’s strict transparency laws, and how his perspective shapes the way he works with agencies preparing for the future.

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You joined the Army National Guard at 17. What drove you that early?

Josh: I was still in high school when I signed up. Part of it was wanting to serve, part of it was the challenge. I became an infantryman, later airborne, and trained to push through situations where quitting wasn’t an option. That mindset to keep going when it’s tough has shaped every role since.

How did your time as a police officer and SWAT operator shape your view of transparency?

Josh: As a police officer and SWAT operator, I saw that transparency was directly tied to trust. Every response created body-cam or dash-cam footage, and those recordings piled up quickly. When requests for that footage sat in backlog for months, the community often assumed agencies were hiding something or trying to avoid accountability long before the evidence was available. That didn’t just affect how the public viewed the department; it made it harder for officers to do their jobs because, without credibility, even the right actions could be doubted.

For me, transparency has always mattered because it’s about ensuring that both the community and the officers have confidence in the process and in each other.

California is known for some of the strictest transparency laws in the country. What was different about policing there?

Josh: California moved early with laws like AB 748, which requires agencies to release bodycam video of critical incidents like officer-involved shootings within 45 days. At the same time, SB 1421 expanded public access to records from incidents where force caused death or serious injury, driving a surge in requests that agencies had to process.

What made policing in California different was the constant demand to deliver under tight deadlines. Every major incident meant hours of footage and stacks of records that had to be reviewed, redacted, and released on the clock. Even with overtime or outsourcing, many departments struggled to keep up. That experience showed me how laws designed to build accountability can quickly overwhelm agencies if they don’t have automated redaction solutions that handle the work accurately, at scale, and without the burden of frame-by-frame manual effort.

You’re on the other side of the table now. How do you see those same problems differently?

Josh: Back then, I saw records staff overwhelmed by the sheer volume of footage requests. Teams were stretched thin, and departments had to rely on overtime or outside vendors just to get redactions done. The real problem wasn’t the requirement to release information; it was not having the right tools to meet those deadlines.

Now, on this side of the table, I can see how those gaps ripple across an agency: budgets get strained, staff burn out, and the community starts questioning whether their department is being open. That’s why I focus on showing agencies a practical way forward using AI redaction solutions that cut through backlogs and make transparency achievable without exhausting their people.

Some agencies are still reluctant to adopt AI redaction technology. How do you respond to that hesitation?

Josh: I get the hesitation. Agencies want to be sure that what they choose will actually deliver. But the truth is, trying to redact hours of video manually isn’t sustainable. It drains staff time, budgets, and ultimately erodes trust with the community.

The agencies making real progress are asking how to stay ahead, not just get by. That’s where AI redaction tools come in, solutions built to process video, audio, documents, and images in bulk, keep audit trails at your fingertips, and scale to thousands of requests. Platforms such as CaseGuard give agencies a practical way to manage the workload, meet deadlines, and actually deliver on their transparency commitments.

What’s one lesson you’ve carried from the Army and SWAT into your role as Privacy Expert at CaseGuard?

Josh: Perseverance. In the California Army National Guard, it meant getting through demanding training and missions. In SWAT, it meant staying calm when everything around you was chaos. And today, it means working with agencies that are skeptical or overwhelmed and showing them there’s a better way forward. You don’t give up, you adapt until you find the solution.

After years in uniform, what motivates your work today?

Josh: What motivates me now is the impact I can create. In the California Army National Guard and on SWAT, my mission was to protect people directly. Today, it’s about helping agencies keep their commitments to transparency and privacy so communities can have confidence in the system.

If I can help a records clerk clear a backlog or equip agency leaders with solutions to meet deadlines, release footage on time, and protect sensitive information, that matters. It means less time lost to redaction, more time serving the public, and that’s a mission worth carrying forward.

About Josh Salas

Joshua Salas is a Privacy Expert at CaseGuard, where he works with agencies to adopt AI redaction solutions that protect sensitive information and help meet transparency at scale. His perspective is shaped by 15 years of service, six years as an Infantryman in the California Army National Guard, and nearly a decade in law enforcement with the City of Modesto and City of Lathrop Police Departments, including roles on SWAT, the Crime Reduction Team, and as a Field Training Officer.

Drawing on that experience, Josh now helps agencies clear redaction backlogs and meet the strict deadlines that compliance laws today demand.

Talk to an expert to see how your agency can cut through backlogs, speed up redaction, and keep pace with today’s transparency laws.