The Axon body-worn camera system includes a real-time translation feature capable of interpreting nearly 50 languages.
Officers activate the tool by pressing a button on the device, prompting an AI assistant to listen and translate conversations in both directions.
Sgt. Pat Delaney demonstrated the system.
"We're going to depress this button twice, and it's going to connect to an air assistant that's going to listen to the person speaking and then translate in both directions," he said. "And then if someone speaks to me in Spanish, it's going to listen, and then it's going to translate back to me in English."
The technology is intended to help officers communicate quickly with residents and visitors who may not speak English, whether they need help navigating the city or are reporting an emergency.
In one demonstration scenario, a person said, "My 12-year-old daughter didn't come home last night, and I was worried."
To which an officer responded, "Okay, I can help with that."
Delaney noted that the new system replaces a slower, multi-step process.
Previously, officers who encountered someone speaking another language had to contact the department's operations room, which then connected them to a third-party translation service.
"This allows us to do that almost instantly at this point," he said.
The department expects to use the tool long-term, citing Philadelphia's diversity and steady flow of new residents and visitors.
"We wanted it because we're a diverse city that has immigration and people coming in all the time that we want," said Delaney.