Dearborn Police Department launches bodycams with real-time translation

The Dearborn Police Department is investing a lot in new technology.

Its latest addition is a body camera upgrade featuring real-time language translation. The Axon body camera can translate 56 different languages in real time.

"You can set it to the language you want. However, if you don't know the language, it'll automatically detect a language and will translate from whatever language it's detecting to English or the other way," said Mohammed Farhat of the Dearborn Police Department.

While the Dearborn Police Department has had body cameras for quite some time, the two-way language translator is a recent upgrade.

"I've been here for 28 years, and I, very often myself, have been called to scenes to help translate. And it takes time, and sometimes, you know, time is of the essence," said Dearborn Police Chief Issa Shahin. "It's really going to increase our level of service and improve safety."

By bridging the language barrier, the Dearborn Police Department can better serve the community.

"It's important that we be able to meet people where they are when they need help. And so, you know, for folks that are newly immigrated here, or people that are traveling and then don't speak English, to be able to help them is really important," Shahin said.