“Obviously, there are non-English speakers in our area and this greatly assists us with being able to effectively communicate with them.”
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One of the everyday challenges of police work is the language barrier. Officers often have to use translation services online or work with an interpreter to communicate. However, this can take considerable time.
Earlier this month, the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office announced that it is now implementing an artificial intelligence-based language translation software.
Team members can access the tool through their body worn cameras. It is already being utilized for investigations, traffic stops and community events.
The law enforcement agency’s team has access to 57 languages (with English being the base): Afrikaans, Arabic, Armenian, Azerbaijani, Belarusian, Bosnian, Bulgarian, Catalan, Chinese (Mandarin), Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Estonian, Finnish, French, Galician, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Hungarian, Icelandic, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Kannada, Kazakh, Korean, Latvian, Lithuanian, Macedonian, Malay, Marathi, Maori, Nepali, Norwegian, Persian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Slovak, Slovenian, Spanish, Swahili, Swedish, Tagalog, Tamil, Thai, Turkish, Ukrainian, Urdu, Vietnamese and Welsh.
“We’re always consistently looking for new and innovative ways to improve our public safety,” said PCSO traffic sergeant John Mullins. “Obviously, there are non-English speakers in our area and this greatly assists us with being able to effectively communicate with them.”
Since the technology is artificial intelligence-based, it has an accuracy rate of 90 to 95%.
He added that the PCSO began a 90-day trial in November 2025 to “make sure things are functional and that it was actually beneficial.” The participating deputies provided feedback that was “overwhelmingly positive.”
“Everyone who had access to it and used it in the field during the trial period spoke nothing but good things about how it bridged the barrier,” Mullins explained.
The Sheriff’s Office received access to the tool through a partnership with public safety technology company Axon, which manufactures the agency’s body cameras. It is available to all certified law enforcement deputies in the field and at the Pinellas County Jail. Bailiffs at the county’s courthouses also have access to the technology.
Additionally, multiple civilian team members at the Pinellas County Jail, including probation officers and medics, can utilize the software.
The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office and the Tampa Police Department have been utilizing artificial intelligence-based language translation technology as well.
He said that there are many benefits to using the new system. Officers can “quickly and effectively communicate with people in emergency situations.” Additionally, the technology “drastically reduces the wait time in trying to get someone who speaks that language to the scene or potentially waiting on the phone on a language line.”
PCSO team members can access vital information firsthand and alert other responding units if necessary.
Mullins explained that the software can also “reduce frustration with the citizen, allowing for “a much more fluid and natural conversation.” They can communicate with officers in real time without a delay. These individuals, he added, are “usually not going through their happiest hour.”
More languages will be added over time as Axon expands the technology. According to the PCSO, deputies have reported two languages that are not represented: Creole and Albanian.
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