Winnipeg police body cams to feature AI translator

Winnipeg police body cams to feature AI translator

The Winnipeg Police Service will begin testing an artificial intelligence translation tool on Thursday, adding the feature to its body-worn camera pilot project.

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The translation tool works with more than 50 languages and will initially be used by the 40 front-line officers who began testing the cameras in June.

When a button is pressed, the device will recognize the language being spoken and translate it into English. The officer can respond in English or French and have the device translate their words into the language spoken by the other person.

“What it effectively does is allow that immediate transfer of communication to occur, without having to find a translator,” said George Labossière, WPS deputy chief of operations.

The translation tool will be used throughout the body cam project.

“We want to … ensure that we can have effective communication with all members of our public. I think our city is highly diverse,” said Labossière. “It would (also) make investigations better and more timely. We would otherwise be looking for a translator, which could take anywhere from two to five hours. In this situation, we would have that information in a few moments.”

Police already use an AI tool to redact sensitive information from body-cam footage, such as through automated blurring of private information recorded on cellphone and computer screens.

“Those automated redactions really ease the work of our officers when it comes to disclosure and ensure that personal information that would have otherwise been seen is, in fact, guarded,” said Labossière.

Police are also exploring the use of AI writing tools that could review a recording and type out the events that transpired, though that’s still being considered and not actually tested, he said.

“I will say that if we are going to use a tool … we’ll always verify that whatever words have been put together by AI are reviewed by the officer before any submission of the document,” said Labossière.

The translation tool is expected to be about 93 per cent to 95 per cent accurate, which can jump higher when a person speaks very clearly, he said.

The head of the body that oversees Winnipeg police said she expects the translation technology will help officers communicate effectively with citizens.

“If this tool can help break down language barriers, I think it will lead to more successful interactions in the community,” said Colleen Mayer, chairwoman of the Winnipeg Police Board.

Mayer said the tool should help police and residents understand each other and potentially make it easier to calm tense situations.

A local justice expert said the new tool should help make sure police are clearly understood, which could help de-escalate and prevent conflicts.

“One way to do that more effectively is to communicate clearly. I think it reduces the risk that a situation will go from difficult to bad to worse to a violent encounter,” said Michael Weinrath, professor emeritus at the University of Winnipeg’s criminal justice department.

In more routine encounters, the device could simply help improve public service, he said.

“Winnipeg has become more diverse. There are more new Canadians and people who live here who don’t speak English or don’t speak it very well. There’s the opportunity then for more effective communications,” said Weinrath.

Quick translations for witnesses found at the scene of an incident could prevent details being forgotten over time, he said.

While he believes there is strong public support for body cams, Weinrath said some citizens may remain skeptical about how the technology is used.

He said that is partly because its use will be automatic in most, but not all, cases. In specific settings, such as health-care facilities, police previously said officers would be given some discretion to deactivate cameras to protect privacy.

Others may question the final bill for the devices, if a permanent program is approved, since that money could otherwise be spent to add more front-line officers, said Weinrath.

The pilot project is testing Axon Body 4 cameras, which the company is providing free of charge throughout the testing period.

joyanne.pursaga@freepress.mb.ca

Joyanne is city hall reporter for the Winnipeg Free Press. A reporter since 2004, she began covering politics exclusively in 2012, writing on city hall and the Manitoba Legislature for the Winnipeg Sun before joining the Free Press in early 2020. Read more about Joyanne.

Every piece of reporting Joyanne produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.