With Super Bowl LX set to bring thousands of visitors from around the world to the Bay Area, the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office is currently rolling out a new language translation platform to help deputies communicate more effectively with residents and guests.
The agency has partnered with Pocketalk to launch a one-year pilot project aimed at breaking down language barriers and improving public safety, the agency said.
“Deputies will have this technology as an available optional tool this month, just in time for the influx of visitors expected for the big game,” the Sheriff’s Office said in a release.
“Clear communication is critical to public safety, especially during large-scale events,” said Sheriff Robert Jonsen. “This technology allows our deputies to connect with anyone in our community—quickly, accurately, and respectfully—no matter what language they speak.”
The Sheriff’s Office acquired nearly two dozen handheld Pocketalk devices and about 200 enterprise mobile app licenses, powered by a proprietary AI-driven translation engine that enables secure, real-time translation in more than 92 languages.
The tools are designed to support one-on-one conversations in the field and provide secure, efficient, on-demand translation. This technology is an optional tool designed to improve communication with community members, not a replacement for existing investigative translation services available to deputies.
I commend the Sheriff’s Office for deploying the Pocketalk translation services. In doing so, they are providing their deputies with the ability to communicate effectively, accurately, and immediately with everyone they encounter, not just English speaking persons, but everyone, regardless of the language spoken. That’s so critically important, because even if a person speaks a little bit of English, their ability often disappears during a critical incident and they revert to the language they think, emote, and make decisions in. Bravo, Sheriff! I hope the other agencies in the county follow your lead.