PHILADELPHIA, June 18 (Reuters) - Philadelphia police officers can now communicate with foreign language speakers at the push of a button, using cutting-edge body cameras that can translate 50 languages in real time as the city prepares to welcome World Cup visitors.
The technology allows officers to instantly bridge language barriers that previously required calling in specialised personnel or language services, creating significant delays during police encounters.
Kevin Bethel, the Police Commissioner for the City of Philadelphia, said the technology was a "game changer" that makes the force much more efficient in policing, with major teams like Brazil, France and Croatia set to play group games in the city.
"For an officer to have someone, particularly if they speak no English, we either have a police officer -- if we understand the language that they speak -- to potentially come to the scene or call into our language line," Bethel told Reuters.
"That can take a very delayed process. So part of our journey was to now have a tool... A body-worn camera that, using the technology, will be able to translate in the moment. That was significant.
"It's not just about FIFA (World Cup). We serve a large community who do not speak English as their first language. So this is a tool that, even though we're launching it now, will live well beyond the (World Cup) and the 250th (anniversary of American independence) celebration."
Bethel said the technology would also help make it easier for officers to proactively approach and engage with people who speak a foreign language, particularly fans from countries where English is not the native language.
"We're bringing people from all over the world to come into our city," he added.
"They know they can come up to a police officer, engage them and they'll be able to fully understand what they're saying. That's a home run and we'll take it every day."
LEGAL PROBLEMS
However, there are legal hurdles to navigate if interactions escalate to criminal proceedings as officers must still rely on certified translators for courtroom evidence.
"When it moves into the criminal process, that still will require someone who's certified to make sure, because that transcript now is going into the courtroom. We cannot just solely rely on the AI technology," Bethel said.
The commissioner highlighted a key limitation where the cameras capture all ambient conversation and not just the intended dialogue.
"So you have to go through it and make sure that everything that's being said in the conversation, particularly if it's part of a criminal matter, has been certified," he added.
"We have to be very intentional about making sure that transcript is accurate, that it didn't pick up any other conversations in that transcript before we present it as evidence in a trial."
(Reporting by Thando Hlophe and Alexandra Sarabia, Writing by Rohith Nair in Miami, editing by Ed Osmond)
