Va. Police Department to Roll Out Real-Time Language Translators

Police officers in Virginia Beach will soon have the ability to instantly speak with residents and visitors in more than 50 languages, thanks to a new device coming to the department.

Every officer will be equipped with an Axon Assistant translator, an AI-powered device that can translate speech in real time, said Brandon Kyle, police technology administrator at the Virginia Beach Police Department. The translator attaches to the body cameras the department uses, and at the click of a button, an officer can speak with someone using a variety of languages — from Vietnamese to Spanish.

“When we come across citizens who do not speak the same language, it may be English as a second language, or maybe they don’t have any experience speaking English,” Kyle said. “Historically, we were at a bit of a disadvantage, and that was an impact on the officer. That was an impact on the citizen, and the options were rather limited when this encounter would occur.”

Before the translators, officers would ask within the department if someone was available to translate. If it was a language not spoken by anyone on the force, a foreign language help line could be used. Even in those cases, a translator may not be immediately available. All of this took time, Kyle said, delaying both investigations and creating inconveniences for people who may need help.

To use the Axon translator, the officer presses a button on the side of the device. The officer can then request a language, or the device can listen to the speaker to identify a language to translate. After the person speaks, the officer presses the button again, and the device speaks the translation out loud. The officer repeats the process to respond. The device can also identify slang and curse words.

MPO John Hlebinsky, public information officer with the department, said this tool will be especially helpful at the Oceanfront. Since tourists are traveling from across the world to enjoy the city’s coastline, it is very common for officers to interact with visitors who may not be fluent in English. In situations or emergencies where efficiency and speed could mean life or death, effective communication becomes even more important, he said.

“If you’re standing (at the Oceanfront) and someone approaches you that has a lost child, and you’re trying to figure out that dynamic, it’s easier just to turn on the body camera to bridge that gap with that translation,” Hlebinsky said. “I can start streamlining information: height, weight, hair, eye color, name, who they were with, or what hotel they’re from. That vital information in that first 30 seconds is crucial, and we can capture that with this.”

Kyle said that a pilot group of officers have already tested the devices in the field, and he hopes every officer will be outfitted with one by the end of the year. He said the department is still looking into how the transcriptions can be used, such as in court. According to Axon, the developer of the device, the translator was built for “low-stakes interactions,” and in addition to the AI-generated transcriptions, an audio recording of the conversation is made, which can later be transcribed and verified.

“When you have readily available resources like this, it’s just one less thing that you have to worry about with your phone or going back to your cruiser,” Hlebinsky said. “Literally, I can stay where I’m at on the scene and just handle that conversation, or handle my case. It’s going to move volumes.”

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