The Stockton Police Department announced Tuesday its integration of a real-time language translation feature on body-worn cameras for officers in the field.
More than 300 field officers from the police department are undergoing training to learn how to use the technology on the Axon cameras – which the department says will enhance communication within the community.
“We want to ensure that our community is not only seen and heard, but also understood,” said Officer Omer Edhah, a Stockton police spokesperson.
Tierney Stuhr, an Axon representative for the company who creates the software, said the translation is integrated into the body-worn cameras, allowing officers to communicate in more than 50 languages with the community.
Some languages include Spanish, Thai, Tagalog and Vietnamese.
“The way it works is straightforward,” Stuhr said during the news conference.
She explained that when an officer encounters someone who speaks another language the camera will facilitate a two-way conversation in real time.
According to the Axon website, languages can be manually set or automatically detected, resulting in the device audibly translating the speech within seconds.
Stockton Police Chief Stanley McFadden said communication barriers have historically slowed emergency responses.
“When seconds matter, delays can change outcomes,” McFadden said.
He said officers have often had to rely on hand gestures, assumptions, or wait for a translator while trying to assist a person in distress.
With the roll out of the translation feature, McFadden said it ensures that no matter what language a person speaks, Stockton officers can communicate clearly and quickly during critical moments.
“This technology eliminates those delays and provides our officers with immediate access to accurate on scene translations,” McFadden said.
He said he believes real-time translations will strengthen public safety in Stockton. It is expected to reduce misunderstandings during high stress incidences and help officers better assist victims, witnesses and people in a crisis who may struggle with communicating in English.
Mayor Christina Fugazi called the new technology a game changer for the police department and said it was a commitment to a safer, connected and more inclusive community.
“Lanaguage should never be a barrier to access to services, to help, or to safety,” Fugazi said. “When we look into our community, people who need us the most are expecting us to be able to communicate with them.”
Record reporter Victoria Franco covers public safety in Stockton and San Joaquin County. She can be reached at vfranco@gannett.com. Support local news, subscribe to The Stockton Record at https://www.recordnet.com/subscribenow.
This article originally appeared on The Record: Stockton police get real-time translation for body cameras
Reporting by Victoria Franco, The Stockton Record / The Record
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