Starting next week, Calgary police will use AI technology in body cameras that can translate conversations from more than 60 other languages in real time.
“This is a major step forward in reducing language barriers directly on our front line and the interactions they have with the community each day,” Deputy Chief Cory Dayley told the police commission hearing Wednesday.
Chief Katie McLellan says the translation can be activated with the push of a button and will be simultaneously recorded.
The new technology will be rolled out in all body-worn cameras June 1.
The Calgary Police Service will be the first force in Canada to fully deploy it, according to police commission chair Amtul Siddiqui. Other cities like Ottawa have tested the feature.
‘Inclusive gesture’
Sally Zhao, president and CEO of the Immigrant Education Society in Calgary, called this an “inclusive gesture” for people who speak other languages, and said it could also reduce frustration on the part of officers.
“I think in the past, there was sometimes because of the language barriers miscommunications and misunderstandings between especially newcomers and police officers,” said Zhao.
Zhao’s organization serves more than 2,000 clients daily, who speak upwards of 90 different languages. She says there have been emergency situations where an interpreter is needed to help translate, but finding someone in the moment is not possible.
Doug King, justice studies professor at Mount Royal University, says the technology will help in emergencies, where time is of the essence. He says it can also help build bridges between police and multicultural communities.
He predicts that in the next several years, most major police forces in the country will be using AI for translation.
AI already saving CPS time and money
McLellan said over the past year, CPS has reviewed how its officers are deployed and how their work is structured, resulting in projected savings of $1 million.
Those newfound efficiencies have included members using AI to review large volumes of evidence and prioritize files, spending more time on the front lines and less time on the clerical side of things.
King says it’s critical there are safeguards in place when officers are using AI, like ensuring the body cameras cannot be hacked and transcriptions changed.
He says officers will also need to confirm the transcriptions are accurate and free of AI hallucinations, in the event they are used as evidence.
“Police officers are extraordinarily busy. I think about 20 per cent of their time — street officers — is doing paperwork,” said King.
“And if you’re pressed for time and you don’t double-check something, something could slip through, and wait until that hits the court of law.”
CPS has notified the privacy commissioner, who will undertake an assessment of the AI translations in the coming weeks.
Municipal police in Alberta are mandated to wear body-worn cameras.