Crime & Safety

Translator Device Helps Clearwater Cops Speak Foreign Languages

Clearwater officers are using a new handheld translator device to access more than 180 languages when encountering non-English speakers in the area.

Clearwater Police recently started using a translator device that helps officers interact with people who speak foreign languages.

The ELSA (Enabling Language Service Anywhere) device, made by RTT Translating Company, can translate as many as 180 languages with the push of a button.

The device itself is a lightweight handheld object that easily clips onto an officer’s uniform.

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Rather than waiting for a translator to arrive on scene, ELSA connects an officer with a live, real-time operator who can assist in any of the languages provided by the service.

In April, the Clearwater Police Department paid $600 for 10 devices, which includes a $200 first-month access fee. Additionally, they are charged $1.50 a minute with each use. The device is not meant to eliminate the need for multi-lingual officers altogether. Instead, it serves as extra help when an officer’s ability to communicate hits a wall.

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“I’ve been able to take my conversation so far with the Spanish that I know and then once I got stuck, I was able to access a Spanish translator through the device, which helped me resolve several situations,” said Officer Raymond Croze, member of the Clearwater Police Department Patrol Division and Community Liaison Team.

While Spanish speakers are common in Clearwater Beach, that is not the only language officers encounter in the field. High tourism rates bring many dialects to the area, so the need for ELSA is great.

Most recently, the device accessed French- and Polish-speaking translators to aid officers in two cases, Croze said.

ELSA is best suited in relatively minor situations such as domestic disturbances and DUI cases; in the event of more serious crimes, a translating officer would be called to the scene.

“It has been a very, very helpful tool and I can’t say enough good things about it,” Croze said.

To see how the device works, watch the video with this story for a demonstration. 


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