Chief James Walsh said the department upgraded its current body cameras from public safety technology company Axon, with the company's Axon Body 4's Real-Time Translation program. The program utilizes the company's Axon Assistant technology, which is an AI-powered voice assistant built directly into Axon Body 4 camera.
He said the upgrade was approved by the Common Council and was implemented on Jan. 12. Walsh said it is being used on a 90-day trial period.
"Norwalk is a diverse community, and there's several different languages spoken here," he said. "So, not only does it assist public safety, it assists in rendering services to people when it's critical and during normal conversations. It could be a car accident or property damage, [it] just makes things a whole lot easier when the officer and the resident, or the person that they're assisting, is able to communicate properly."
Walsh said the software was added to the department's current Axon 7 body cameras that officers have been using for years.
"This is just an upgrade within the camera that provides this option for translation," he said. "So, it's not a separate translation. It is incorporated into our everyday bodycam program."
Walsh said when an officer initiates the software, the other person speaks and the camera converts their language into English. He said the same thing happens when an officer speaks English — it converts to that person's corresponding language.
He said the software includes more than 50 different languages.
Walsh said the software will cost the city $82,000 annually when the trial program ends, and that it is "well worth the cost."
"It just adds another tool in the toolbox that is needed in 2026 for outreach and providing the services to the city," Walsh said.
Walsh said Axon informed him about the new technology and the department took its time reviewing it before officially signing on.
"We did actual demonstrations, and we did some testing internally within the building, and it works great," he said. "We have several officers who were speaking different languages here in the building, so we were able to test it, and it worked great, so we decided to make that commitment to the program."
Walsh called the upgrade a "no brainer" and said officers have already had success with it.
An Axon representative said in an email that the goal of the software is to "reduce delays, prevent misunderstandings, and support clearer communication during everyday interactions" and said the Axon Assistant technology was piloted in early 2025 before becoming available across the country by August of that year.
The representative said "Axon technology is used by more than 18,000 law enforcement agencies in more than 100 countries." Other communities using the translation software include Campbell, Calif.; Bernalillo County, N.M.; and Summit County, Colo.
The Norwalk Police Department launched its body cameras in August 2015, under former police chief Thomas Kulhawik. There were initially 35 cameras purchased for $50,000 through two private donations of $25,000. The cameras later expanded to all officers in 2018. Walsh said there are currently 179 officers are equipped with body cameras and using this technology.
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